Maternal deaths not linked to single cause, says Rajasthan Health Minister
Jaipur, July 13 (IANS) Rajasthan Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that the state government is deeply concerned and sensitive about maternal deaths and is committed to strengthening maternal healthcare across Rajasthan.
He stated that the recent maternal deaths reported from Kota, Bikaner, Bhilwara and Banswara were associated with high-risk conditions such as anaemia, hypertension, Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH), nutritional deficiencies and other complications. Most of the women had been referred to government hospitals from different locations.
According to gynaecologists, severe hypertension during pregnancy can lead to life-threatening complications, including liver and kidney failure, and a number of such cases have recently been reported. Khinvsar was chairing a meeting with gynaecologists at Swasthya Bhawan on Monday to review the recent maternal deaths in the state.
He highlighted the steady decline in maternal mortality over the past three years, noting that maternal deaths decreased from 1,094 in 2023-24 to 986 in 2024-25, and further to 824 in 2025-26. This represents an overall reduction of approximately 25 per cent during the tenure of the present state government. Expressing concern over the recent incidents, the Minister said that every maternal death is being taken seriously and that the government is making every effort to further strengthen maternal healthcare services.
He recalled that in 2011, 18 women died within three days in Jodhpur due to a single common cause, while eight women lost their lives in successive incidents in Jaipur during 2011-12. In contrast, the recent maternal deaths do not indicate a common underlying cause. Instead, the women were high-risk patients with different medical complications.
The Minister also held a detailed review through videoconferencing with doctors from Mahatma Gandhi Hospitals in Banswara and Bhilwara regarding maternity cases. Individual case reviews were also conducted with the principals and superintendents of medical institutions in Bikaner and Kota.
Describing the current situation as a challenging period for the department, Khinvsar stressed the need for strict adherence to clinical protocols and effective monitoring of Antenatal Care (ANC).
He directed officials to ensure robust infection prevention and control measures in hospitals. He further instructed senior doctors at major government hospitals to mentor doctors in smaller government facilities, particularly in the management of referral cases.
This, he said, would strengthen the capacity of peripheral institutions, reduce unnecessary referrals of high-risk pregnancies, and improve patient outcomes. He also directed senior medical officers to undertake field visits to monitor the performance of ASHA workers, ANMs and other healthcare facilities.
During the meeting, gynaecologists made several recommendations to further strengthen maternal healthcare. These included improving labour room infrastructure, addressing overcrowding in hospitals, ensuring early treatment of anaemia at the primary healthcare level, conducting audits of referral cases, maintaining referral-out registers, establishing dedicated obstetric ICUs, strengthening monitoring of antenatal check-ups, making pre-operative ECGs mandatory where indicated, ensuring regular follow-up of pregnant women by ASHA workers and ANMs, increasing public awareness, and enforcing strict compliance with established treatment protocols.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Gayatri Rathore, NHM Mission Director Dr Jogaram, Commissioner (Medical Education) Babulal Goyal, Additional Mission Director Dr T. Shubhamangala, Director (Public Health) Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, Director (RCH) Dr Madhu Rateshwar, SMS Medical College Principal Dr Deepak Maheshwari, government and private gynaecologists, principals of medical colleges from the participating districts, PMOs of district hospitals, and other senior officials.
–IANS
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