Rajasthan’s C-section deaths mount as 2 more women die after surgery in Bundi

• Two women died after developing complications following C-sections at Bundi's District Women's Hospital; two more women developed similar complications and were shifted to Kota.

• The operation theatre has been sealed for sampling, culture testing and sterilisation, a gynaecologist has been placed under APO and a three-member committee headed by the Bundi SDM is investigating.

• The episode comes amid a wider Rajasthan concern over post-C-section complications and maternal deaths.

Two women who underwent Caesarean sections at the District Women's Hospital in Rajasthan's Bundi have died at separate private hospitals in Kota, prompting an inquiry and the sealing of the hospital's operation theatre for sampling, sterilisation and culture testing.

The deaths come amid a series of cases involving serious post-C-section complications at government hospitals across Rajasthan in recent months. Five women died after developing complications following Caesarean deliveries at government hospitals in Kota in May, while eight women fell ill after C-sections at a government hospital in Jodhpur in June.

Following the deaths, angry family members and others blocked the Silor State Highway and staged a protest, demanding an impartial inquiry, suspension of the doctor concerned, action against those responsible and compensation of Rs 50 lakh for each bereaved family.

Further maternal deaths were reported from government hospitals in Bhilwara, Banswara and Bikaner in July. Investigations in some of the cases have examined infection control, patient monitoring and other procedural lapses, though authorities have not established a single common cause for all the deaths.

In Bundi, Kavita Kumawat (32) from Tonk district and Varsha Sain (28) from Bundi district were admitted to the District Women's Hospital on 15 September. Both underwent C-sections the day after and delivered babies who were reported to be in good health.

However, the condition of both women began deteriorating shortly after the surgeries and they were referred to the Government Medical College (GMC) in Kota. Their families subsequently shifted them to separate private hospitals in Kota, where both women died during treatment late on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Two other women from Bundi district, Jeenet (20) and Pinky (23), developed similar complications at the hospital on Thursday, 17 September and were referred to GMC Kota. Their condition was stable on Friday, officials said.

Following the deaths, the Bundi hospital sealed the operation theatre where the surgeries were performed. Officials said samples would be collected for culture testing and the theatre would undergo sterilisation and infection-control procedures.

L.N. Meena, principal medical officer at the hospital, said gynaecologist Chandresh Meena, who performed the C-sections on Kavita and Varsha, had been relieved of his current duties and placed under awaiting posting order (APO).

A three-member inquiry committee headed by the Bundi sub-divisional magistrate has also been constituted. It includes the chief medical and health officer and the head of the gynaecology department at the hospital. The committee will examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the complications suffered by the other two women.

Meena said 10 women with high-risk pregnancies were currently admitted to the hospital for delivery. If any of them requires an emergency C-section while the operation theatre remains shut, arrangements will be made to use the general operation theatre or refer the patient to Kota.

The deaths in Bundi come as Rajasthan's public healthcare system faces renewed scrutiny over maternal deaths and post-operative complications.

A state-level probe into five maternal deaths in Kota earlier this year identified multiple lapses, including inadequate monitoring of high-risk pregnancies, deficiencies in medical records and gaps in infection-control mechanisms. In Jodhpur, eight women developed serious complications after C-sections in June, prompting authorities to seal the operation theatre as a precaution; six were suspected to have developed septicaemia.

By July, reports had put the number of maternal deaths across Rajasthan's government hospitals since May at 19, with cases reported from Kota, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Bhilwara and Banswara. The state subsequently announced measures including a statewide pregnancy-screening drive.

With PTI inputs