The policy and ethical perspectives of a dialogue among India, Africa and Europe

The Ethical Dimension of Knowing and Acting: Science and Technology in the 21st Century India

University of Hyderabad, India
Conference Hall Department of Political Science,
Social Sciences Building, 1st Floor

29th March 2011

Agenda

Sustainability & Plurality in Built Environment - a case study of RECONSTRUCTION
opportunities and barriers to a inclusive, sustainable and plural response
by Radha Kunke
This paper contextualizes itself in three major disasters in the last decade in India (the Gujarat earthquake, the Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, and the Kosi floods in Bihar) and soughts to draw observations and learnings from these to broadly examine the opportunities, barriers and challenges to pluralism, justice and sustainability and bring out the factors that are required to be included in any debate on Ethics of Science & Technology, vis-à-vis construction/ re-construction.

Sustainability in reconstruction, as a concept, has been recognized by and large in the last few decades, but is not yet a priority. However with the debate on sustainability and environmental issues growing over the years, sustainability is beginning to be seen as an issue that needs to be addressed in reconstruction too.

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Medical Ethics: A case study of Hysterectomy in Andhra Pradesh
by Dr S.V. Kameswari and Dr Prakash Vinjamuri

The NGO, Life-HRG observed a number of young rural women undergoing hysterectomy operation (along with removal of ovaries) as a solution recommended by qualified and certified allopathic medical practitioners in the area they work in. The indiscriminate resort to the surgical treatment has far-reaching health implications to the women. The NGO, as part of its work, registered a total of 171 women under 40 who had undergone unindicated hysterectomy in just one administrative block of Medak district. The women had gone to the doctor with complaints like abdominal pain and white discharge, abdominal pain, spotting, white discharge with foul smell and itching and genital prolapse and were recommended to undergo hysterectomy.

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