After 18 deaths, Rajasthan sets up 5-day screening of pregnant women from July 15

The Rajasthan government has announced a five-day statewide screening campaign for all pregnant women from July 15, days after the state reported 18 maternal deaths following childbirth since May this year.

The alarm within the administration intensified after nine maternal deaths occurred in just six days between July 5 and July 10 across Bhilwara and Banswara districts. The deaths triggered panic among patients and their families and raised serious concerns over the state’s maternal healthcare system.

During the five-day campaign, health officials will conduct comprehensive health screenings of pregnant women, maintain records of antenatal check-ups and ensure regular monitoring of their health.

Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary of the Medical and Health Department, issued the directions during a video conference meeting with health officials on Tuesday. She instructed field-level workers, including ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Community Health Officers (CHOs), to carry out the screening process with "sensitivity and seriousness."

Rathore said accountability would be fixed for ASHA workers, ANMs, CHOs and other officials if any negligence was found in the screening and monitoring of pregnant women.

FOCUS ON HIGH RISK PREGNANCIES

Rathore said early identification and timely management of high-risk pregnancies (HRPs) were crucial to preventing maternal deaths.

She directed officials to ensure that every pregnant woman is registered within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and that all related information is updated on the Pregnancy and Child Tracking System (PCTS) portal.

Every pregnant woman will be required to undergo at least four antenatal care (ANC) check-ups, including tests for blood pressure, haemoglobin levels, weight, urine, blood sugar and other essential health parameters.

Districts have also been instructed to develop separate tracking systems for high-risk pregnancies. Women with conditions such as anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, previous caesarean deliveries, twin pregnancies, excessive bleeding and other complications will be identified and provided regular follow-up care.

Officials have been asked to maintain name-wise lists of high-risk pregnancy cases from the sub-health centre level to the district level and ensure periodic review by specialist doctors.

MATERNAL DEATHS TO BE REVIEWED WITHIN 24 HOURS

The government has directed districts to conduct an initial review of every maternal death within 24 hours and carry out a detailed Maternal Death Review as per guidelines.

Officials have also been asked to conduct weekly reviews of high-risk pregnancies and maternal deaths, with action to be taken wherever lapses are found.

Rathore directed health facilities to ensure that no pregnant woman is deprived of antenatal check-ups, haemoglobin tests, vaccination or institutional delivery services.

She also instructed hospitals to maintain adequate stocks of essential medicines, ensure availability of blood and keep labour rooms, operation theatres and newborn resuscitation equipment fully functional.

WHAT RAJASTHAN GOVERNMENT SAID

Amid growing concerns, Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said the pattern of deaths had surprised authorities and that experts had been called in to determine the cause.

"It is surprising to us that the deaths are occurring so simultaneously that we can't understand why. Initially, we thought the deaths were due to the heat, but now the heat has passed," Khimsar said.

The minister said senior officials, hospital principals and superintendents from affected districts, including Kota, Jodhpur and Bikaner, had been called for discussions.

He added that the government had sought assistance from leading gynaecologists across Rajasthan to conduct a detailed investigation, similar to an earlier review carried out by a team from AIIMS Delhi.

"While the blood reports are clear and everything else seems in order, we need to identify the underlying reason for these occurrences," Khimsar said.

He added that action against doctors or officials could only be taken if negligence, carelessness or a specific medical error was established.

WHAT FAMILIES OF DECEASED ALLEGE

Meanwhile, families of the deceased have accused hospital authorities and doctors of negligence. Relatives staged protests inside hospitals, demanding answers and accountability.

The Bhilwara deaths have also brought attention to infrastructure constraints at the facility.

Hospital sources said the facility conducts around 30 to 40 caesarean surgeries daily but has only eight surgical instrument sets — five for regular use and three reserved for emergencies. Each set requires at least three hours of sterilisation before reuse, raising concerns about infection risks amid the high surgical workload.

Questions were also raised after a culture test from one of the operation theatres returned positive. However, authorities have not established any direct link between the test result and the maternal deaths.

HOSPITAL DENIES CHARGES

Hospital Superintendent Dr Arun Gaur rejected allegations that negligence or infection caused the deaths. He said periodic sampling of operation theatres and intensive care units was part of routine infection-control measures, and that disinfection and sterilisation were carried out according to established protocols.

Gaur said the operation theatre where the sample failed quality standards had been shut for three days and was undergoing sterilisation and fumigation. No surgeries would be conducted there until fresh samples return negative results, he added.

Amid growing concerns, a special committee comprising experts from microbiology, surgery, gynaecology and anaesthesia departments has been formed to probe the recent maternal deaths.