Etah, July 13: An Asha worker allegedly got an unmarried 40-year-old deaf and mute man sterilised on the pretext of getting him vaccinated for coronavirus or COVID-19. This reportedly happened on July 11 with Dhruv Kumar, a resident of Bishanpur village in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. Reports said the accused Asha worker, identified as Neelam Kumari, got Dhruv Kumar sterilised to meet a target and earn an incentive. Uttar Pradesh: Woman Given Two Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine, DM Orders Inquiry into Negligence.

According to Dhruv Kumar's brother Ashok Kumar, Neelam came to their house on July 11 and sought permission to administer COVID-19 vaccine to his deaf and mute brother. She also claimed that Dhruv will get Rs 3,000 if he takes the vaccine. Notably, Rs 3,000 is provided by the state government to a male person on sterilization. Neelam then took Dhruv to the district hospital. First Dose of Covishield Followed by Second Dose of COVAXIN Given to 20 People in UP's Siddharthnagar 'By Mistake', CMO Says 'Those Who Got Cocktail Are Healthy'.

"Instead of providing COVID-19 vaccine, she got my brother sterilized. My brother was already weak. He fell unconscious after reaching home. We took him to the district hospital. There, doctors asked us to take him to the SN Medical College in Agra," Ashok was quoted by TOI as saying. A doctor at the district hospital told the newspaper that the sterilization procedure cannot be done on an unmarried man.

The report said the accused Asha worker lied to Dhruv's family to complete the target given to each block by the district health department ahead of the World Population Day on July 11. She wanted to earn an incentive of Rs 400 for promoting sterilization, it added. Etah Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Umesh Tripathi said the matter is being investigated.

While Dhruv's family has lodged a complaint, an FIR is yet to be registered. "Required action will be taken on the basis of the health department’s probe findings," Awagarh police station house officer Manvendra Tyagi said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2021 02:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).