Father of 13 children undergoes vasectomy after much cajoling in Erode

ERODE: After much persuasion by the block medical officer, the VAO and even the local police, Chinna Mathaiyan, 46, agreed to undergo vasectomy after his wife C Shanthi, 40, delivered their 13th baby last week.
The couple from a village near Andhiyur in the district refused family planning all these years because of religious dogma. The couple has 12 children, including seven sons and five daughters. Shanthi gave birth to a male baby on Wednesday.
Block medical officer Dr K Sakthi Krishnan said it was a continuous effort by a team comprising VAO Babu, the local police, and health department officials to convince Mathaiyan to undergo vasectomy after four days of counselling.
“We also gave him five days’ of groceries for his family before we took him to the hospital for the vasectomy procedure,” Sakthi Krishnan said. He said Shanthi became anaemic after the delivery. She would die if she gave birth to another baby.
“So, we have decided to perform the vasectomy procedure on Mathaiyan,” he added. The team visited Mathaiyan’s village eight times to convince him. Mathaiyan used to disappear into the Andhiyur reserve forest whenever the medical team visited his village for counselling.
Finally, Mathaiyan agreed after he was explained about his wife’s poor health condition. On Sunday morning, Mathaiyan underwent a vasectomy at the government hospital in Andhiyur. “His condition is stable. We had dropped him at his house on the same night. We have provided him with medicines as well,” Sakthi Krishnan said.