Karnataka maternal deaths: LoP demands judicial probe, Health Minister's resignation

Bengaluru: Slamming the Congress government in Karnataka over maternal deaths in the state, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka on Thursday demanded a judicial probe into the matter and called for the resignation of Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Also expressing concern over the state of government hospitals and accusing the administration of “succumbing” to the drug mafia, he said the maternal deaths are in a way “government-sponsored murder.” The Leader of Opposition’s comments come as the state BJP’s Mahila Morcha has launched protests in five districts daily, starting Thursday, demanding the resignation of Health Minister Gundu Rao and Minister for Women and Child Development Laxmi Hebbalkar, alleging that they failed to prevent the deaths of new mothers in the state.

“After the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power in Karnataka, maternal deaths at government hospitals have increased, with most of them occurring in the 25-30 age group, and this trend continues,” Ashoka told reporters here.

Noting that he had raised the issue in the Assembly during the recent Belagavi legislature session and pointed to the government’s mistakes with supporting documents, he said, “The government is directly responsible for maternal deaths. This is, in a way, government-sponsored murder. Substandard drugs were supplied, and it is clear that the government has bowed down to the drug mafia.” “There should have been a judicial probe into the deaths. I have not received any information about the judicial probe yet. There should have been a criminal case against the company that supplied substandard drugs, but there is uncertainty about whether a case has been registered. There is no information regarding the death audit report,” he said.

Pointing out that the government has assured to take action and ensure that such incidents do not recur, Ashoka said, “But maternal deaths haven’t stopped yet.” “This government boasts about enabling women by giving Rs 2,000 every month to women heads of the family as part of its guarantee schemes,” he said, urging CM Siddaramaiah to first stop maternal deaths at government-run hospitals. “The government should guarantee the lives of new mothers.” “The Minister (Health Minister) responsible for all this must resign, and the Chief Minister must order a judicial probe,” he said, adding, “We will also meet the government and won’t stop our fight to get justice for the deceased women and their families.”