Number of maternal deaths rises to four; citizens furious

Sindhanur: The report of the death of a woman in less than 10 days after she gave birth to a girl at the taluk government hospital in the town and later shifted to the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in October, has now pushed the tally of maternal fatalities in the state to four, triggering outrage among citizens.

Given that each of the four deaths has occurred at state-run healthcare institutions, several questions are being raised about the quality of treatment being provided and the efficiency of the staff at these hospitals.

Channamma Basavaraj, 24, the latest addition to this list, a resident of Ragalaparvi village in Sindhanur taluk, was admitted to the taluk hospital on October 21 after she experienced labour pain. She subsequently gave birth in the afternoon of the same day. Although she showed no signs of sickness immediately after the delivery, she started feeling ill later that night.

The next day, October 22, the doctors decided to shift Channamma to RIMS for further treatment. For eight days, she underwent treatment at RIMS, but succumbed on October 30, leaving her child without a mother.

Recounting the tale of woe, an inconsolable Basavaraj, Channamma’s husband, said that they had made regular visits to the hospital through the nine months of her pregnancy. The doctors had assured the couple that there was nothing to worry about, he said.

“Since we had no money, we decided to go to a government hospital. Immediately after birth, both Channamma and our daughter seemed to be in good health. But Channamma’s condition worsened later that night, and the next day, when her BP shot up, we were told to go to RIMS, where she breathed her last.”