Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mandalgarh in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Kirti Kumari, died of swine flu here on Monday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
She was admitted there after her treatment at the Sawai Man Singh government hospital, where she was brought from Kota, was discontinued because the hospital did not have an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. Ms. Kumari, who belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Bijolia, was 51. Some Rajput community groups have alleged negligence in her treatment.
Protocols followed
Ms. Kumari fell ill while visiting Bijolia last week, complaining of breathlessness.
Sawai Man Singh government hospital’s Medical Superintendent, D.S. Meena, said Ms. Kumari was placed on a ventilator and attended by a team of medical experts as per the standard treatment and care protocol. However, the doctors at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon, who were consulted, advised that she be treated using an ECMO machine.
As the machine was not available in SMS Hospital, Ms. Kumari was shifted to Fortis Hospital on Sunday evening. She breathed her last at about 7:00 a.m. on Monday. Her body was cremated at Bijolia in the evening.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP State president Ashok Parnami expressed grief at Ms. Kumari's untimely death and said it was an “irreparable loss” for the party. Ms. Kumari was active in the State politics for several years and had defeated her Congress rival by a huge margin the 2013 Assembly election.
