The Maharashtra government has reconstituted a state-level committee to examine health issues faced by women sugarcane workers and to investigate hysterectomy surgeries carried out in private hospitals over the past three years.
The Public Health Department issued the order through a government resolution dated February 25, 2026. The move follows earlier concerns regarding hysterectomy procedures reported in private hospitals in Beed district. A state-level committee had first been formed on June 26, 2019, to look into such surgeries.
According to the latest order, the committee has now been restructured and its scope widened in line with decisions taken at a meeting held on June 10, 2025, under the chairmanship of Minister Neelam Gorhe. The government has also approved the formation of district-level committees across the state to conduct detailed inquiries.
The state-level panel will be chaired by Neelam Gorhe, Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Members include MLC Manisha Kayande, MLA Namita Mundada, senior officials from the Public Health Department, directors of health services, and medical experts from government colleges in Ambajogai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Representatives from UNICEF Maharashtra and other health institutions are also part of the panel.
The committee has been tasked with studying health problems faced by women sugarcane workers over the last three years and suggesting corrective steps. It will also examine hysterectomy surgeries conducted in private hospitals during this period, verify medical records, and conduct interviews with affected women wherever necessary.
The panel will check whether unnecessary surgeries were performed and recommend measures to prevent such procedures in the future. It is required to meet at least twice a year.
At the district level, committees will be set up under the chairmanship of the District Collector. These panels will include gynaecologists from government medical colleges or district hospitals, district health officers, civil surgeons, representatives of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI), and members of non-governmental organisations.
District committees will investigate cases from the past three years, examine hysterectomy procedures in private hospitals, and submit their recommendations to the state-level panel. They will also meet at least twice a year.
