BHOPAL: A 25-year-old woman and her newborn baby died at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, prompting an inquiry and the subsequent suspension of two nurses and two female doctors.
Kalpana Mishra, a resident of Hatwa in Rewa district, was admitted to Gandhi Memorial Hospital of the Shyam Shah Medical College on August 25 for the delivery of her first child. According to her family, she underwent a caesarean section at around 8.30 pm on August 26 and delivered a baby. Both the mother and child died shortly afterwards.
A video recorded before Kalpana's death has since circulated widely. In it, she is seen crying and attempting to reach her relatives while nursing staff appear to restrain her and persuade her to remain in the ward. At one point, a staff member is heard asking whether she had “gone mad”.
Kalpana repeatedly complained that she was not receiving proper treatment. Addressing her mother, she said that if the treatment continued, “these people will kill me”. She then pleaded: “I won’t survive. Please save me, my life is in danger.”
Her family alleged that doctors failed to respond adequately as her condition deteriorated. Her father, Ramsharan Mishra, said he repeatedly asked medical staff to examine and monitor his daughter but her condition was not treated in time.
The family also raised questions about the anaesthesia administered during the caesarean section, claiming that Kalpana did not regain consciousness afterwards and alleging that an excessive dose may have contributed to her death. These claims, however, have not been established.
The deaths triggered protests at the hospital, with relatives demanding action against those they believed were responsible. The family initially opposed a post-mortem examination until authorities agreed to consider their demands.
Following discussions between the family and hospital officials, the post-mortem examination was conducted by doctors from the district hospital. Two nursing officers on duty, Sadhana Verma and Seema Mujalde, were suspended as a preliminary disciplinary measure, while a high-level committee was constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
On Friday, two female doctors—Dr Sonal Agrawal, a gynaecologist, and Dr Nidhi Pandey, an anaesthesiologist—were also suspended after the initial probe found them prima facie responsible for medical negligence and dereliction of duty.
The Dean of the Medical College, Dr Sunil Agrawal, described the incident as tragic and said action would be taken against anyone found responsible. He said the question of why Kalpana failed to regain consciousness would be examined as part of the investigation.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Rahul Mishra rejected allegations of negligence by doctors, saying Kalpana had been treated according to medical protocols. He said the inquiry would examine the family's allegations and that further action would depend on its findings. “Her (Kalpana’s) platelet count was already low, which is an important factor in the entire case,” Dr Mishra said.
The case has also drawn attention to wider staffing shortages in Madhya Pradesh's public healthcare system. Official figures for 2025-26 show that 3,948 of the state's 5,443 sanctioned specialist-doctor positions are vacant—more than 72 per cent. Of the 6,513 sanctioned medical officer posts, 2,689 are unfilled.
For Kalpana's family, however, the immediate question is one of accountability. They are demanding criminal action if the inquiry establishes that negligence contributed to the deaths of the young mother and her first child.