A woman who underwent C-section at Niloufer Hospital on Monday died of complications on Tuesday.
The woman, Rajitha, a resident of Malkajigiri, was rushed to the Osmania General Hospital late on Monday after she had developed respiratory problems. She died on Tuesday afternoon. She had initially arrived at Sultan Bazar Maternity Hospital to deliver but was asked to go to Niloufer Hospital as the operation theatre maternity hospital remains closed after maternal deaths last week.
Health authorities maintained that Rajitha’s death was not like those that had occurred last week. “She was visiting OGH during pregnancy for chronic lung disease. Her heart beat reduced severely and she was shifted to OGH,” said Dr. M. Ramani, Director of Medical Education.
The government has instituted a string of measures to curb maternal deaths. These include sanction for hiring 50 doctors with funds from the National Health Mission for maternity hospitals, replacing stocks of drugs in the State’s public healthcare and setting up maternal intensive care unit. “An ICU in Petlaburj maternity hospital will become operational shortly. After completing some civil work in Sultan Bazar, an ICU will also be set up there,” Dr. Ramani added.
At the Niloufer Hospital too a maternal ICU was opened recently. The 10-bed ICU at the Niloufer is housed in the emergency block which was inaugurated last November.
Maternal deaths this year, first at Niloufer Hospital and later at Gandhi Hospital, Sultan Bazar and Petlaburj Maternity Hospitals, have raised questions about healthcare quality in public health institutions. Authorities have maintained that women who died last week had underlying health issues even as inquiries were launched to probe these deaths. The findings of an inquiry into Niloufer deaths instituted two months ago are yet to be made pubic.
The Telagnna Pradesh Congress Committee delegation comprising former minister Sabita Indra Reddy, MLAs D.K. Aruna, Padmavathi, former Mayor Karthika Reddy, and Mahila Congress President Nerella Sharada visited the Koti Maternity Hospital and spoke to the Hospital superintendent about the recent deaths.
They demanded an inquiry into the alleged negligence of the hospital authorities in the recent deaths. A Bharatiya Janata Party delegation of city unit too visited the hospital to get a first-hand information on issue.
