Jaipur, Nov 11 — Another woman has died following childbirth in Kota, Rajasthan, taking the number of maternal deaths reported in the district to four in just 15 days. The latest victim, 28-year-old Pushpa Bairwa, succumbed to complications arising from severe postpartum haemorrhage, which led to Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) and respiratory failure.
Despite intensive treatment and the efforts of doctors from multiple departments, she could not be saved. The successive deaths have raised serious concerns about maternal healthcare and the management of childbirth-related complications in the region.
Pushpa Bairwa, a resident of Baran district, died on Monday night while undergoing treatment at the Super Speciality Hospital of Kota Medical College.
She had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Nephrology Department and was on ventilator support.
According to medical details, her condition deteriorated after she developed uncontrolled bleeding following childbirth. Investigations revealed that she had developed Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), a serious condition that disrupts the body's blood-clotting mechanism and can cause life-threatening bleeding.
The complications severely affected her kidneys and lungs, eventually leading to respiratory failure. This was the fourth maternal death reported in Kota within 15 days. Pushpa was experiencing motherhood for the first time.
She had been admitted to a hospital in Jhalawar, where she delivered a healthy baby girl through a normal delivery on October 27. However, barely an hour after childbirth, she began experiencing severe and uncontrollable bleeding. Doctors attempted to control the haemorrhage and administered five to six units of blood, but the bleeding could not be brought under control.
As her condition continued to worsen, she was referred to a hospital in Kota for advanced treatment. Dr Vikas Khandelia, Head of the Nephrology Department at the Super Speciality Hospital, explained that Pushpa had developed DIC, a condition that severely disrupts the body's normal blood-clotting process. Continuous blood loss caused her blood pressure to drop, affecting the functioning of her kidneys and lungs.
Her platelet count and haemoglobin levels also fell significantly. Following dialysis and other medical interventions, her kidney function showed some improvement, with urine output reaching approximately three litres per day.
However, her lung condition continued to deteriorate. She developed severe respiratory distress and could not be taken off ventilator support. Specialists from several departments, including Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Anaesthesia, Pulmonology and Gynaecology, were involved in her treatment.
Despite their combined efforts, she could not be saved. Pushpa's death is the latest in a series of maternal deaths reported in Kota over the past fortnight.
The deceased women include Shabnam Bano (26), a resident of Chhabra in Baran district, who died at JK Lon Hospital on October 25. She had delivered a baby girl through a Caesarean section on October 23.
On October 17, Roshan Bairwa died following excessive bleeding after a Caesarean section. On October 16, Reshma (40) died due to kidney failure following a Caesarean section.
The four deaths within such a short period have raised questions about the management of childbirth-related complications and the availability of timely emergency medical intervention. Kota witnessed another alarming series of childbirth-related complications in May.
Between May 5 and May 7, several women developed serious health complications following Caesarean deliveries. A total of 12 women reportedly suffered kidney failure. Five of these women died, while the remaining patients recovered following treatment and were discharged from the hospital.
The repeated maternal deaths have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of emergency obstetric care, timely referrals, access to blood transfusions and the management of life-threatening complications following delivery.
Postpartum haemorrhage is a medical emergency that requires immediate intervention. If bleeding cannot be controlled promptly, it can lead to severe blood loss, organ damage and potentially fatal complications such as DIC.
Although the precise circumstances surrounding each death need to be established through medical investigations, the recurrence of such cases highlights the need to examine emergency response systems, early diagnosis, referral arrangements and the availability of specialised care.
The most pressing question remains: Why are so many women losing their lives after childbirth in Kota, and what measures are being taken to prevent further maternal deaths?