Health activists demand stringent action on death of two women in Kota

Health activists in Rajasthan on Friday (May 8, 2026) demanded stringent action on the death of two women after caesarean deliveries at New Medical College Hospital in Kota, saying the incident had exposed “deep systemic failures” in the public health system related to drug procurement, storage, quality testing, monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, drawing his attention to the need to activate the drug safety and adverse effects monitoring system and pharmacovigilance units to ensure immediate identification and action on adverse drug reactions.

While two women died in the incident, several others have developed serious health complications, including kidney failure. A team of four doctors from Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital has reached Kota for monitoring the treatment of women, who were admitted to the hospital’s nephrology ward.

About 50 public health experts, doctors, social activists, and representatives of various people’s organisations and networks from across the State signed the memorandum. They demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and action against the guilty, saying the health complications among the women might have arisen after being given contaminated or incorrect drugs and fluids.

JSA coordinator Chhaya Pachauli said criminal cases should be registered against the responsible officials, drug supplier companies and quality testing agencies, and strict legal and punitive action should be ensured. “The State government should provide compensation of ₹1 crore along with social security support to the next of kin of the deceased and at least ₹50 lakh each to seriously affected women,” she said.

The signatories to the memorandum included Sawai Singh of Rajasthan Samagra Seva Sangh, Nesar Ahmad of Budget Analysis & Research Centre, Pavitra Mohan of Basic Health Services, Satyadev Bareth of Oran Foundation, and Satish Kumar of the Centre for Dalit Rights.