India, Jan. 26 -- Amid growing concern over a sharp rise in hysterectomies among women, particularly sugarcane workers, in Beed district, the Maharashtra public health department has decided to restructure the committee monitoring such procedures and introduce mandatory quarterly reviews to assess their medical necessity, said health officials on Saturday.

According to health department data, 1,310 women underwent hysterectomies in Beed in 2025 alone, including 113 sugarcane women workers. This includes eight women aged 35 years or below. Since 2019, at least 362 sugarcane workers in the district have undergone hysterectomies, with 2025 recording the highest number so far.

The issue has gained attention amid allegations that some women ...