On Wednesday morning, an alarming data about maternal and infant deaths at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad went online. The figures showed that in August alone, the hospital reported 48 infant deaths and 14 maternal deaths.
The data was first shared on ‘X’ by Telugu Scribe, attributing the rise in deaths to the State government’s decision to halt the KCR Kit and KCR Nutrition Kit schemes, which were previously provided to pregnant women. The post raised concerns about the broader impact of these figures, stating: “If these are the numbers at Gandhi Hospital alone, how many more pregnant women and children may have died in other government hospitals across Telangana over the last eight months?”
Meanwhile, responding to this, a senior Health official informed that “Considering the maternal deaths occurring each year, there has been no abnormality observed this year. The number of maternal deaths in August is also not unusual. Gandhi Hospital being the apex hospital with super-speciality services acts as a last resort for highly-complicated cases received from across the State. Most of the cases are referred to in the last stage, even requiring mechanical ventilation at times.”
The official clarified that in August, there have been 41 paediatric deaths and 13 maternal deaths at the hospital. The official also provided data from previous years. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Gandhi Hospital recorded 84 maternal deaths and 416 paediatric deaths. In 2023-2024, the numbers rose to 108 maternal and 430 paediatric deaths. So far, in the current fiscal year (2024-2025), the hospital has recorded 68 maternal deaths and 241 paediatric deaths.
Former Minister and Sircilla MLA K.T. Rama Rao weighed in on the issue, sharing the data posted by another social media user. He acknowledged the progress Telangana had made in reducing infant mortality rates (IMR) and maternal mortality rates (MMR) up to 2023 but expressed concern over the recent figures.
“Till 2023, we had the best IMR and MMR rates in Telangana since Independence,” he said. Mr. Rama Rao called on the Chief Secretary to investigate the situation and report on any instances of negligence that may have contributed to the spike in deaths.
Published – September 18, 2024 07:21 pm IST
