70% Maternal Deaths Last Year Were Preventable, Finds Karnataka Govt Audit, Health Minister Admits Failure
Karnataka was jolted in November last year when the Ballari District Hospital witnessed five maternal deaths after caesarean births in a span of three days from November 9-11
An interim maternal deaths audit report in Karnataka by an eight-member, state-level expert committee has found that of the 464 maternal deaths from April 2024 to December 2024, a whopping 70 per cent were preventable.
Karnataka was jolted in November last year when the Ballari District Hospital witnessed five maternal deaths after caesarean births in a span of three days from November 9-11. The uproar led to the government cracking down on the usage of an IV solution, called Ringer’s Lactate solution, from a pharmaceuticals company in Bengal, which was found to have endotoxins. A government interim report on the maternal deaths has now found that 18 such deaths took place between April and December last year because of the solution, with Ballari seeing five of them.
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The findings of the audit report were revealed by health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao in a press conference in Bengaluru, who admitted that there was a failure in the system, and that the government would work towards bringing the preventable deaths to 0 from the 70 per cent now.
Data from the report shows that of the 464 deaths that Karnataka witnessed from April to December, 103 deaths (22 per cent) have taken place in private hospitals, while 305 (65 per cent) have taken place in public health facilities. A total of 68.75 per cent (319 cases) of maternal deaths during this period were high-risk pregnancies (HRP) while 31.25 per cent (145) were non-HRP.
Of the 18 cases of maternal deaths due to Ringer’s Lactate solution, five are from Ballari, four from Raichur, four from Bengaluru Urban, three from Uttara Kannada and one each from Yadgiri and Belagavi. Rao said after the Bengal-based pharma company Paschimbanga, which supplied the solution, was blacklisted last year, 112 cases had been registered and all were pending in court. Rao added that ever since the batches of the solution were stopped from usage, maternal deaths have seen a decline this year, with January recording 32 deaths, February seeing 34 and March seeing 36 deaths.
The audit report has also revealed that of the 464 deaths in the span of nine months last year, it was established that there was negligence of the service providers in at least 10 cases. When asked about the action taken against the staff, Rao said there were no suspensions but an enquiry was underway after notices were served.
Among the leading causes of maternal deaths during the period, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (153 cases at 33 per cent), haemorrhage (125 cases at 27 per cent), and sepsis (42 cases at 9 per cent), have emerged as the leading causes. Of the 464 maternal deaths, 63 per cent of the mothers underwent caesarean operations, while 37 per cent had normal child births.
Taking note of the lapses in maternal care, the department of health and family welfare services has placed 27 recommendations for facilities in Karnataka. Among the recommendations, capacity building, strengthening the facilities with equipment and drugs, strengthening blood storage units, mandatory hospital stay of three days following normal births and seven days following caesarean operations, preventing unnecessary caesarean births are some of the key ones.
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