After at least three new mothers developed kidney-related complications and died in two government hospitals in Kota following their deliveries over the last two weeks, a five-month pregnant woman, who had developed similar complications after undergoing treatment in one of the hospitals and later suffered a miscarriage, died on Sunday.
The Opposition has reacted sharply to the crisis, demanding that the government take responsibility.
Twenty-year-old Shireen Mohammed Ashu developed complications a day after she was discharged following treatment at the New Medical College Hospital for an issue related to her uterus, her family said. She was later moved to a private hospital and suffered a miscarriage on May 11. Days later, she was referred to the Nephrology ICU back at the New Medical College Hospital, where she died on Sunday.
The crisis of maternal care complications in Kota government hospitals began after six women who underwent C-section at New Medical College Hospital on May 4 developed serious complications, leading to the death of two of them later that week.
On May 11, a woman died at JK Lone Hospital after suffering similar complications following a C-section delivery there. Two other women, who also had kidney-related issues following C-section deliveries at JK Lone, were in critical condition. Another woman had died on May 9 at JK Lone Hospital after giving birth, and doctors attributed her death to heart failure. Sources said she was already suffering from health issues when she was brought to JK Lone, and it remained unclear if the death was linked to postpartum complications seen in the others.
The Health department has been probing the crisis, and expert teams have visited Kota from AIIMS, Delhi.
The death of Shivpura-resident Shireen, whose kidney-related issues cropped up during her pregnancy and treatment, unlike the others who got them after giving birth, has further widened the crisis.
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Azaz Khan, a relative of Shireen and her husband Mohammad Ashu, told The Indian Express that she had been consulting doctors at the government hospital during her pregnancy.
“She got a procedure done on her uterus at the hospital, after which she stopped passing urine. Her baby was lost, but we were hoping that she would pull through. She has been on dialysis since May 8 and passed away on May 17 at 3 pm. Who is responsible for her death and who will be answerable to us? We just want justice for the women who died,” said Azaz Khan.
After Shireen underwent the procedure at New Medical College Hospital, she was discharged on May 7, but developed complications the very next day, after which she was taken to a private hospital and put on dialysis. On May 16, she was referred back to the government hospital.
‘Nobody takes responsibility’
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully criticised the government, saying it was not taking responsibility for the crisis.
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“What kind of a government is this that nobody takes responsibility for a mishap? A school building collapsed, killing many children, but the Education Minister did not take responsibility. The NEET paper was leaked and the central minister did not take responsibility. Five women have died in Kota in government hospitals and the Health Minister is not taking any responsibility. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi take any action against these ministers? We need to see the intent of this BJP government, which has been giving false assurances to the public for so long,” Jully said.
Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar had earlier said the government was treating the Kota incidents with utmost seriousness, but that the exact cause of the deaths remains unclear. He said that investigations are underway from multiple angles. He gave assurances that action would follow after the facts are established.
