C-section crisis deepens in Rajasthan: 8 ill in Jodhpur, another maternal death in Bikaner
A month after a probe confirmed fatal medical negligence in Kota, a string of post-surgery kidney failures and infections forces Jodhpur hospital to shut down its operation theatres.
Even as a probe has identified "medical negligence" and other shortcomings as the cause of deaths of five pregnant women last month after cesarean deliveries at Kota’s New Medical College Hospital, C-section complications return to haunt Rajasthan.
A month after the Kota deaths, eight women have developed severe health complications, including kidney failure, following caesarean sections at the district hospital in Jodhpur, the latest in a series of such cases reported in Rajasthan.
The women complained of excessive bleeding and low blood pressure after surgery. Two of them, who developed severe kidney infections, have been referred to Mathuradas Mathur Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Following the incident, the hospital administration has temporarily closed the operation theatre. Samples have been collected from the OT for investigation, and all surgical procedures have been suspended until the test reports are received, officials said.
Another death at Bikaner
Meanwhile, in Bikaner, a woman who had undergone a cesarean delivery at PBM government hospital tragically died on Sunday (June 21), becoming the second maternal death linked to kidney infection cases at the hospital.
Hospital authorities said Sharda Nayak, a resident of Rampura Basti in Bikaner, was admitted to the hospital on June 3 and underwent C-section the following day.
Also read: Fake Oxytocin scandal rocks Rajasthan; 5 maternal deaths spark statewide probe
According to the hospital, she subsequently developed a kidney infection and was shifted to the intensive care unit on June 5 after her condition deteriorated. She had been on ventilator support for the past week and died on Sunday evening.
Sharda's father, Hiralal Nayak, alleged medical negligence and demanded an impartial probe into the incident. "We do not want compensation. The doctors responsible should be punished," he said, claiming that the hospital administration had failed to provide a clear explanation regarding the cause of death.
The hospital, meanwhile, said that all efforts were made to save the patient. PBM Hospital Superintendent Dr B C Ghiya said, "Prima facie, multiple organ failure appears to be the cause of death. After the kidneys, other organs also stopped functioning and the patient was being provided oxygen support," he said.
Probe findings
Notably, a high-level probe into the tragic deaths of five pregnant women following cesarean sections last month has pinned the blame squarely on blatant medical negligence, administrative lapses, and abysmal infection control protocols at the New Medical College Hospital in Kota, The New Indian Express reported.
The investigation, conducted by a panel of medical experts from Jaipur’s SMS Medical College, revealed major breakdowns in clinical care.
According to the report quoting sources, one of the victims, identified as Shirin, succumbed to multi-organ failure after doctors allegedly stitched an already infected uterus during her surgery, causing a massive, systemic infection to spread.
In the other four cases, the expert committee identified pulmonary embolism, postpartum hemorrhaging (excessive bleeding), and cardiac complications as the primary causes of death.
At PBM in Bikaner
Following the death of Sharda at PBM hospital in Bikaner on June 21, Congress workers staged a protest outside the mortuary.
Earlier, another woman, Preeti, a Suratgarh resident, died at the same hospital on June 19. She had been referred from Nagaur to Bikaner on May 15 and was admitted to ICU on May 16 after developing a kidney infection.
She remained on ventilator support for nearly a month before succumbing.
Officials said six women who had recently delivered babies at PBM Hospital had developed kidney infections over the past month.
Of the six affected women, two have died, while two others, identified as Imrati and Kamla, are still undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Previous deaths at Kota
Earlier, similar incidents had come to light where five women in Kota and two in Bikaner died after developing complications following a caesarean delivery.
The incident took place at New Medical College Hospital in Kota where the women reportedly developed complications after undergoing cesarean deliveries.
The sudden deterioration in health conditions among the postpartum women has been treated as a serious matter by the state authorities. An expert team from the AIIMS-Delhi and other central medical institutions was constituted to probe the deaths in Kota. Investigations were also launched in the Bikaner incident.
Latest Jodhpur incidents
In Jodhpur, B S Jodha, Principal of SN Medical College, said the eight caesarean sections were performed on Saturday.
Two were shifted to MDM Hospital after their condition worsened, while the remaining six women are being treated at the district hospital, he said.
He said one of the women experienced severe bleeding, while another, who is diabetic, suffered from low blood pressure and anaemia. Such conditions, he explained, can adversely affect kidney function.
District Hospital PMO Kulbir Chopra said that the condition of the six women admitted at the district hospital is currently stable.
The hospital authorities said surgical operations will remain suspended until the laboratory reports are received.
(With agency reports)