A fresh investigation has been launched into maternal health complications linked to C-sections in Rajasthan, after eight women who underwent caesarean deliveries at the District Government Hospital in Paota, Jodhpur, fell ill on June 20. The women reported symptoms such as excessive bleeding and low blood pressure, with two developing serious complications and being shifted to higher medical facilities. One of the patients, Lalita, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at AIIMS Jodhpur, while another patient, Sonu, is undergoing treatment in the ICU at Mathura Das Mathur (MDM) Hospital.
Authorities have shut down the operation theatre at the District Hospital and suspended surgeries pending an inquiry. Samples from the OT have been collected and sent for testing. District Hospital Principal Dr B S Jodha stated that all drugs used during the surgeries have been withdrawn and barred from use until the investigation is completed.
The state government has constituted an inquiry committee comprising doctors, drug inspectors, and other officials. The incident comes amid heightened concern over complications following caesarean deliveries in Rajasthan. Earlier this month, a woman died following complications after a caesarean delivery at PBM Hospital in Bikaner.
Another woman, 20-year-old Preeti Nayak of Suratgarh, died on June 19. Six women had developed kidney failure after caesarean deliveries at the hospital; two remain in the ICU while two others have been discharged. The Bikaner cases followed a similar and more severe episode in Kota, where five women died in May after undergoing caesarean deliveries at the New Medical Government Hospital.
More than 40 days later, five other women remain admitted and continue to require dialysis after suffering kidney failure. Investigations by teams from SMS Hospital Jaipur, AIIMS Delhi, and Kota Medical College have been completed, but their findings have not yet been made public. The prolonged uncertainty has fuelled criticism of the government’s handling of the cases.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot termed the deaths and complications an ‘institutional failure’ and ‘institutional murders’, citing allegations of poor hygiene, negligence, and substandard medicines. Hospital authorities have rejected those allegations. Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar stated that the cases in Jodhpur, Kota, and Bikaner are not linked.
The central Health Ministry has stayed away from the investigation into the maternal deaths in Rajasthan, stating that it is a state issue and any investigations being carried out are by the state government.
