Vasectomies fall to 0%, sterilisation in women up in Karnataka: Report

BENGALURU: Karnataka’s family planning department is collecting data on men working in industries, auto drivers and eligible couples to conduct orientation and awareness programmes, explaining the advantages of undergoing a no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) surgery.

Dr Chandrika BR, deputy director, family welfare department, said they are initiating the process from Kolar district, for which data collection is almost done. Based on the response, they will extend the programme to other districts.

Explaining the low percentage of male sterilisation, she said that since the pandemic, surgeries are almost negligible. At the taluk level, most hospitals were taking in only emergency surgeries. It also hindered raising awareness about it among men during the time.

The percentage of men undergoing vasectomy went from an already low 0.1 per cent to 0 per cent in the National Family Health Survey - 5, however, statistics for women showed a rise and stood at 57.4 per cent in 2021. “In my career, it’s extremely rare that I have witnessed men undergoing a surgery. Since women are considered inferior to men, lesser number of men go through surgeries,” said Dr Nivedita Jha, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sparsh Hospital.

Any responsibility related to contraception is considered a woman’s job, despite the process for a man being much less complicated. It continues to be a social stigma and taboo for men, they  fear weakness and impotency post the surgery, which is completely untrue, Jha clarified.  

Often, women are not aware they are being sterilised during the C-section delivery of their second child. It is a common notion that men are bread earners of the family and the responsibility of family planning remains with women, explained Sayantani Chatterjee, a population expert. These days, the frequency is higher among rural women, and urban women prefer using temporary contraceptive methods, she added.