Two more women die in Rajasthan after C-sections; probe committee formed

Officials in Jodhpur inspecting the pharmacy of a hospital where eight women fell ill after undergoing caesarean sections. | Photo Credit: File Photo Two women who underwent caesarean sections at a government hospital in Bundi died at separate private hospitals in Kota earlier this week. The children delivered through surgery are reported to be in good health.The Medical and Health Department has temporarily sealed the operating theatre at the District Women’s Hospital in Bundi and launched infection-control measures, besides conducting sampling and culture testing. Bundi Collector Harphool Singh Yadav has sought a report on the incident from the department.Fatal complicationsThe latest deaths follow a series of instances of fatal complications following C-sections reported at government hospitals across the State in recent months.Five women had died after caesarean deliveries at government hospitals in Kota in May this year while eight women fell ill after C-sections at a government hospital in Jodhpur in June. Maternal deaths were also reported from government hospitals in Bhilwara, Banswara and Bikaner in July. The investigations could not establish a common cause for all the deaths, though the factors of infection, patient monitoring and other procedural lapses were probed.The total number of maternal deaths in the State between May and July-end stood at 19. The State government subsequently announced measures, including an intensive pregnancy-screening drive to prevent such deaths.Admitted on Sept. 15Kavita Kumawat, 32, from Tonk and Varsha Sain, 28, from Bundi were admitted to the hospital in Bundi on September 15 and underwent C-sections.When their condition started deteriorating shortly after their surgery, they were referred to the Government Medical College in Kota 40 km away.The women were shifted to separate private hospitals in Kota, where they died during treatment the following day. The next of kin of the deceased have demanded an impartial investigation into the deaths, action against those responsible and ₹50 lakh each as compensation.A Medical and Health Department spokesperson said on Friday that a woman gynaecologist at the District Women’s Hospital in Bundi had been relieved of duty, even as 10 women with high-risk pregnancies were admitted to the hospital.A three-member inquiry committee, headed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and comprising the Chief Medical and Health Officer and the Head of the Gynaecology Department, has been appointed in Bundi to conduct an investigation into the matter.The recurring incidents have led to questions over the State’s maternal healthcare infrastructure. Published - September 19, 2026 01:11 am IST