Mon Dec 30 22:58:00 UTC 2024: ## Rural Hospital’s Lack of Facilities Leads to Mother’s Death in Maharashtra
**Mumbai, December 31, 2024** – A 22-year-old mother died due to postpartum hemorrhage after a series of delays and insufficient medical care at rural hospitals in Palghar district, Maharashtra. Asha Nandakumar Bhosare, delivering her first child, experienced severe bleeding at Mokhada Rural Hospital, which lacked a blood bank.
The delay in transferring her to Jawhar Sub-District Hospital (22km away), which also lacked an ICU and ventilator, and then further to Nashik District Hospital (80km away), proved fatal. Despite receiving blood transfusions and attempts to stop the bleeding, Ms. Bhosare was declared dead upon arrival at Nashik. Her healthy baby boy is now under the care of the Jawhar Sub-District Hospital.
The incident highlights the critical lack of maternal healthcare resources in rural areas. Dr. Bharat Kumar Mahale, Medical Superintendent of Mokhada and Jawhar, emphasized the importance of timely blood transfusions and surgical intervention in treating postpartum hemorrhage, a condition affecting approximately 12% of Indian women, as cited in a recent Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India article.
Palghar MP Hemant Vishnu Savara has called on the state health department to equip rural hospitals with basic life support, including blood banks, experienced gynecologists, and 24-hour ambulance services. The Watchdog Foundation, a Mumbai-based citizens group, condemned the incident, highlighting the disparity between government funding for welfare programs and the neglect of basic healthcare in remote areas. The group’s letter criticized the lack of access to essential medical facilities, resulting in the preventable death of a young mother.
First Piper 