JAIPUR: Amid outrage over maternal deaths in hospitals, the Rajasthan government has announced a statewide five-day screening campaign for pregnant women beginning July 15 to strengthen maternal and child healthcare.
The announcement comes amid probe into over 20 maternal deaths reported in recent weeks, as tests confirmed presence of pseudomonas bacteria at Bhilwara’s Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, raising concerns over infection-control practices. Health experts said bacteria detection in Bhilwara hospital OT indicates lapses in sterilisation protocols.
The contaminated OT has been sealed. Samples of medicines, including oxytocin injections administered during deliveries, have been collected from hospitals and sent for testing. Based on the preliminary findings from the Bhilwara case, the government has initiated suspension and transfer proceedings against officials, doctors and nursing staff allegedly responsible.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, Gayatri Rathore, directed district health officials to conduct the campaign with “utmost sensitivity and seriousness” through ASHA workers, ANMs and community health officers (CHOs). She said early identification and management of high-risk pregnancies is critical, as most maternal deaths are preventable.
Rathore directed that every pregnant woman be registered within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, with all records updated promptly on the Pregnancy, Child Tracking and Health Services Management System (PCTS) portal. She instructed that every pregnant woman must receive at least four quality antenatal care check-ups.
Districts have been asked to establish tracking systems for high-risk pregnancies and identify women with anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, previous caesarean sections, twin pregnancies, and excessive bleeding to ensure regular follow-up by specialists.
She directed health institutions to maintain name-wise registers of high-risk pregnancies from sub-health centre to the district level and ensure periodic review. All government health facilities have also been instructed to ensure availability of essential life-saving medicines, blood, functional labour rooms, operation theatres and neonatal resuscitation equipment.
The government has constituted a joint committee of experts from SMS Medical College, Jaipur, AIIMS Jodhpur and Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, to conduct a clinical audit into all fatalities. The panel has been tasked with determining the causes of the deaths.
Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar had earlier said the maternal deaths were primarily caused by severe anaemia, hypertension, postpartum haemorrhage and malnutrition.