Five women who developed severe kidney complications after undergoing Caesarean deliveries at Kota’s New Medical College Hospital (NMCH) have appealed to the President of India, demanding kidney transplants within 48 hours or permission for euthanasia if their condition remains unresolved.
What was expected to be a routine childbirth and a brief hospital stay has turned into a prolonged medical ordeal. The women have remained dependent on regular dialysis since early May after suffering kidney damage following their deliveries. According to their families, they have collectively undergone 32 dialysis sessions over the past 68 days. Five other women treated at NMCH and J.K. Lone Hospital reportedly died due to complications after C-section deliveries.
On July 15, the families sent a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu through speed post after claiming that their earlier representation to district authorities seeking kidney transplants had received no response. The relatives stated that the women have now refused further dialysis, insisting on kidney transplants instead.
Family members described the physical and emotional toll of repeated dialysis sessions, saying the women experience severe vomiting, shivering, fever and extreme weakness after every procedure. Many families also reported severe financial hardship, with some selling assets or losing jobs to continue treatment.
NMCH Principal Dr. Nilesh Jain said the five women are medically stable and have been fit for discharge for nearly three weeks. He explained that they can continue dialysis as outpatients, similar to other patients undergoing long-term dialysis at the hospital.
Responding to the demand for kidney transplants, Dr. Jain said that transplantation cannot be considered immediately. He explained that patients with acute kidney injury generally require observation for three to six months before doctors determine whether they have progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), making discussions on transplantation premature at this stage.
The Rajasthan government has initiated an inquiry into the post-delivery complications reported at Kota hospitals. Authorities have also identified certain substandard drugs in the supply chain, although officials have clarified that these medicines have not been directly linked to the postpartum kidney complications. Similar maternal death cases have also been reported from Bikaner, Bhilwara and Banswara, prompting wider scrutiny.