Eighteen women have died following childbirth in Rajasthan since May, while seven others are undergoing dialysis after suffering kidney failure. The alarming situation has prompted the state government to order a comprehensive investigation into the spate of maternal deaths across government hospitals.
The deaths have caused heightened concern after nine women died in Bhilwara and Banswara between July 5 and July 10, triggering panic among patients and their families and raising questions about maternal healthcare services in the state.
Among the latest cases, five women died within six days at the maternity hospital attached to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Bhilwara after undergoing caesarean deliveries. Hospital records show that all five women developed complications after surgery and were shifted to the intensive care unit, where they died during treatment.
The Bhilwara deaths came after five maternal deaths were reported in a government hospital in Kota in May. In June, six women developed kidney failure following caesarean sections in Bikaner, two of whom later died. Seven women linked to those cases remain on dialysis.
As concerns mounted, Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said the pattern of deaths had surprised authorities and that experts had been called in to determine the cause.
“It is surprising to us that the deaths are occurring so simultaneously that we can’t understand why. Initially, we thought the deaths were due to the heat, but now the heat has passed,” Khimsar said.
The minister said senior officials, hospital principals and superintendents from affected districts, including Kota, Jodhpur and Bikaner, had been summoned for discussions. He added that the government had sought the help of leading gynaecologists from across Rajasthan to conduct a detailed investigation, similar to an earlier review carried out by a team from AIIMS Delhi.
“While the blood reports are clear and everything else seems in order, we need to identify the underlying reason for these occurrences,” the minister said, adding that action against doctors or officials could only be taken if negligence, carelessness or a specific medical error was established.
In response, the health department has ordered an audit of medical records, treatment protocols, emergency response systems and medicines used in the affected hospitals. A special team of experts from Jaipur has been formed to conduct the review.
Meanwhile, the families of victims have accused the hospital administration and doctors of negligence. Their relatives staged protests inside the hospitals, seeking answers and justice.
The Bhilwara deaths have also drawn attention to infrastructure constraints at the facility. Hospital sources said that it conducts between 30 and 40 caesarean surgeries every day but has only eight surgical instrument sets, five for regular use and three reserved for emergencies. Each set requires at least three hours of sterilisation before it can be reused, leading to concerns about infection risks amid the high surgical workload.
Questions have also been raised after a culture test from one of the operation theatres returned positive. However, authorities have not established any direct link between the report and the maternal deaths.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Arun Gaur rejected allegations that the deaths were caused by negligence or infection. He said periodic sampling from operation theatres and intensive care units was part of routine infection-control procedures and that disinfection and sterilisation were carried out according to established protocols.
Gaur claimed the operation theatre from which the sample failed quality standards had been shut for the past three days and was undergoing sterilisation and fumigation. No surgeries would be conducted there until fresh samples returned negative results, he added.
As the concerns mounted, a special committee comprising experts from the departments of microbiology, surgery, gynaecology and anaesthesia has been constituted to investigate the recent deaths.
Bhilwara District Collector Jasmeet Singh Sandhu, who inspected the hospital and reviewed reports related to the cases, said there was no evidence so far linking the deaths to infection. He maintained that the women died due to different medical complications and said all necessary precautions were being taken.
Meanwhile, the Congress targeted the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led government, describing the deaths as “frightening and shocking” and saying they reflected a “deepening crisis” in Rajasthan’s public healthcare system.
“The increasing number of maternal deaths in the state is extremely frightening, shocking and reflects a deepening crisis in public healthcare,” former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said. “Now, after four deaths in Banswara, reports of 18 deaths in two months have emerged. The lack of accountability from the government is making the situation even more serious,” he added.
Alleging administrative failure, he said the government has been unable to handle the crisis and urgent steps are needed to prevent further deaths.
– Ends
(With inputs from Pramod Tiwari and Sharat Kumar in Rajasthan)
Published On:
Jul 13, 2026 23:54 IST
