Two women who delivered babies through C-section in New College Medical Hospital in Rajasthan’s Kota are dead and four new mothers are critical following post-op complications that have left health officials scrambling for answers.
All six women delivered babies on May 4 – two of the newborns have been taken home by their families, while four are still in the neonatal ICU since they cannot be breastfed by their mothers – and complained of discomfort, ranging from chest pain to an inability to pass urine, shortly after. This, doctors said, impacted their kidneys.
One of the women, Payal (28), died on the morning of May 5, while another, Jyoti Ravi (20), died two days later. According to doctors, prima facie, the cause of death appears to be kidney failure.
The other four are under observation in the ICU, with three still unable to pass urine, their families told The Indian Express. The hospital where they gave birth is among the largest in Rajasthan, and caters to patients from Baran, Jhalawar and Bundi districts, as well as from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Dr S N Gautam, a neurosurgeon at the medical institute, who is part of the panel looking into the cases, said, “Two patients are still in a critical condition, while two are better. We have not found the root cause so far. Hospital staff have removed all the medicines used during the cesarean. A notice has been issued across Rajasthan, and medicines (used during the procedure) have been banned in the state until we find which one impacted the patients. We don’t want to take any chances. A team of doctors has arrived from Jaipur and we are taking every help that is required.”
The Rajasthan government has taken note of the development, with Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar directing that a team of four specialists from Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Medical College be rushed to Kota. The team includes specialists from anesthesia, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and nephrology.
Principal Secretary (Medical Education) Gayatri Rathore said the women have been shifted to the Nephrology Department of the Super Specialty Hospital in Kota. The government has also ordered an inquiry and promised action if negligence is found.
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For Jyoti’s family, this offers little solace. The family consented to a post-mortem after initial resistance; doctors had to convince them it would help explain why she died.
Among those under observation is Ragini Meena (29), who told The Indian Express, “A few hours after the delivery, I was not able to pass urine, my chest started hurting, and I started feeling anxious. I complained to the doctor. My body swelled up and I couldn’t open my eyes. That’s also when I found out that another woman who had delivered a baby had died.”
Ragini’s eyes are still yellow, and her arms and legs appear swollen.
Dhanni Bai (35) is worse off. She has an oxygen mask attached to her face, and her family says she has not passed urine on her own since giving birth to a son on May 4. Her body, too, appears swollen.
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Her aunt, Laavi Jain (32), said, “When she was recovering after her delivery, we saw that her petticoat was wet with blood. We alerted the doctor and she was given fresh stitches, but the bleeding restarted again. It has stopped now.”
Chandrakala Meena (32), another woman under observation, was able to pass urine on the evening of May 7, and her husband, Rakesh Meena, hopes she will be out of danger soon. The fourth woman, 35-year-old Sushila Mahawar, too remains in the ICU.
