July 13: Rajasthan Health and Medical Education Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar on Monday said the state has achieved a 25% reduction in maternal mortality over the past two years, while stressing that the government remains deeply concerned about every maternal death and is working to further strengthen maternal healthcare services.
Chairing a meeting with leading gynaecology specialists at the Health Bhawan in Jaipur, Khimsar reviewed recent maternal deaths reported from Kota, Bikaner, Bhilwara, and Banswara. He said most of the women were high-risk referral cases admitted to government hospitals and that the primary causes of death included anaemia, high blood pressure, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), and poor nutrition.
According to specialists, severe hypertension during pregnancy can trigger life-threatening complications such as liver and kidney failure, leading to fatal outcomes in high-risk pregnancies.
The minister said maternal deaths in Rajasthan have steadily declined from 1,094 in 2023-24 to 986 in 2024-25, and further to 824 in 2025-26, reflecting an overall reduction of nearly 25% during the current government's tenure.
Expressing concern over the recent cluster of maternal deaths, Khimsar clarified that, unlike previous incidents reported in Jodhpur (2011) and Jaipur (2011-12) where deaths were linked to common causes, the recent cases involved different medical complications, with each patient classified as high-risk.
During the review meeting, the Health Minister held video conferences with doctors from Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Banswara and Bhilwara, while also discussing every reported maternal death in detail with the principals and superintendents of medical colleges in Bikaner and Kota.
