Gehlot slams Rajasthan govt over maternal deaths, kidney failure cases linked to OT infections

Jaipur, June 18 (IANS) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has strongly criticised the state government and the public healthcare system following the findings emerging from inquiry reports into the deaths of new mothers in Kota and serious medical complications reported in Bikaner.

Referring to the inquiry report submitted in the Kota maternal deaths case, which reportedly found negligence in treatment to be the direct cause of the deaths of five women after childbirth, Gehlot said the findings exposed a complete collapse of accountability within Rajasthan’s health administration.

He said the revelations, coupled with reports of suspected infections in operation theatres (OTs) and the emergence of similar concerns in Bikaner, pointed to a systemic failure that could no longer be ignored.

“The revelation in the inquiry report that ‘negligence in treatment’ was the direct cause of the deaths of five new mothers at Kota’s New Medical College is extremely grave, disturbing and unforgivable. These were not ordinary deaths; they were institutional killings resulting from the system’s utter apathy.

“The suspicion of infection in the operation theatre raised by the AIIMS team completely shreds the credibility of the hospital administration’s claims. What is even more shocking is that, following this fatal negligence, five other women are currently battling for their lives. Suffering from critical conditions such as kidney failure, they are undergoing dialysis,” Gehlot said.

Gehlot stated that these incidents were not isolated tragedies but reflected the deteriorating condition of government healthcare institutions across Rajasthan.

He accused the state government of failing to ensure basic standards of patient safety, cleanliness, infection control and medical supervision, resulting in devastating consequences for poor families who depend on public hospitals for treatment.

“Their helpless family members met me and poured out their anguish; they have no assurance that the government will continue to fund their treatment after they are discharged from the hospital.

“The government must immediately announce that if these affected women suffer total kidney failure, it will bear 100 per cent of the costs for their kidney transplants and all future medical treatment.

“It is not just Kota; the situation in Bikaner is equally harrowing. There, too, the grim reality of dilapidated hospital conditions, filth and OT infections has emerged as the cause behind kidney failure in new mothers.

“All these facts scream the truth: the state’s entire health department is itself on a ventilator, and this criminal negligence has reduced the lives of the poor to mere playthings,” he said.

Issuing a strong warning to the government, Gehlot said any attempt to downplay the incidents in Kota and Bikaner as unfortunate accidents would amount to shielding those responsible for gross negligence.

He demanded immediate accountability, strict action against responsible officials and comprehensive support for all affected women and their families.

“The state government must now wake from its deep slumber. Any attempt to dismiss these tragic incidents in Kota and Bikaner as mere ‘accidents’ will absolutely not be tolerated.

“I was deeply shaken when I met these suffering, hospitalised new mothers during my visit to Kota yesterday. They are all helpless women from extremely impoverished families who had come to the hospital placing their trust in the government system.

“My direct and unequivocal demand to the Chief Minister is that the senior officials and doctors responsible for this inexcusable negligence be immediately suspended and that criminal cases be registered against them.

“Furthermore, compensation must be provided to the affected families without delay. The government must acknowledge that this is an utter and gross failure of the administration and the system, a failure for which innocent women are paying the price with their lives and the loss of their kidneys,” he added.

Gehlot further demanded a comprehensive review of infection-control protocols, operation theatre standards, maternal healthcare services and hospital management practices across Rajasthan.

He said the government must act urgently to restore public confidence in the healthcare system and ensure that such tragedies are never repeated.

–IANS

arc/pgh