Another maternal death has been reported in Kota, where Reshu, a resident of Baran district, died while undergoing treatment at the super-speciality wing of New Medical College Hospital, IANS reported on Tuesday.
Source: IANS
Reshu, daughter of Dhul Singh, belonged to Harota Bhil village under the Shahabad police station area of Baran district. She was initially admitted to JK Lon Hospital for childbirth and was later shifted to the Medical College Hospital as her condition worsened. She died late on Monday night, extending into the early hours of Tuesday. Police conducted a post-mortem examination and handed over the body to her family, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death is under way.
According to her sister, the delivery took place at JK Lon Hospital, where the baby died in the womb. Reshu remained hospitalised for several days before being transferred. Her sister said her condition had briefly improved — she was able to speak and walk to the restroom — but she subsequently stopped urinating and began experiencing abdominal pain, and doctors reportedly informed the family that her kidneys had failed. The family also alleged that ambulance staff demanded payment to transport the body, despite the family's poor financial condition, maintaining that government ambulance services should be provided free of charge. These are the family's allegations; no official response to them was reported.
The death has renewed concerns over maternal deaths in Kota's government hospitals. According to reports, four women have died this month following complications associated with childbirth and Caesarean deliveries at hospitals affiliated with Kota Medical College. One recent case involved 26-year-old Shabnam Bano, a resident of Chhabra in Baran district, who died at JK Lon Hospital on Saturday night; her family alleged medical negligence. Her brother Sarfaraz said she was admitted to a government hospital in Baran on October 22, was asked to stop eating and drinking on October 23 in preparation for surgery, but the procedure was delayed for nearly 12 hours; she was given an intravenous drip at around 7 pm, reportedly began experiencing seizures, was referred to Kota, delivered a baby girl by Caesarean section at JK Lon Hospital at around 11:30 pm, and later died after her blood pressure dropped and she was placed on a ventilator.
JK Lon Hospital Superintendent Dr Nirmala Sharma, however, said Shabnam had been brought to the hospital in a coma on the night of October 23, that the baby's heart rate was fluctuating, and that the family had been informed about the seriousness of the situation; according to her, the medical team saved the baby through surgery but could not save the mother. The Times of India has separately reported a wider wave of maternal deaths in Rajasthan — nine deaths in six days and 18 since May — and said Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar has deployed specialist teams to investigate every case, examining treatment protocols, medicine quality, infection control, equipment and post-operative monitoring.
Source: The Times of India (via NewsPoint)
Kota also saw a series of maternal complications in May this year, when 12 women reportedly developed kidney failure following Caesarean deliveries performed between May 5 and May 7. Five of them died, and seven others required prolonged treatment and dialysis. The latest death has once again raised concerns about maternal healthcare, post-operative complications and the quality of treatment at government hospitals in Kota.