Jaipur: With public anger rising over reports of new mothers falling critically ill after caesarean deliveries at govt hospitals, Rajasthan health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar has triggered fresh controversy by attributing the rise in C-sections to patient preference, saying the younger generation “does not want labour pain.”The comment came as postpartum complication clusters from Kota, Bikaner and Jodhpur intensify scrutiny of maternal care, surgical decision-making, infection control and oversight in state-run facilities. Critics said Khimsar’s framing reduced complex medical and systemic issues to a dismissive stereotype, especially when families are demanding answers over deaths and severe complications allegedly linked to post-delivery care.Khimsar’s remarks have repeatedly drawn ire. Earlier, addressing serious cases in Bikaner’s govt hospital, he told reporters the women had reached in critical condition and were “not dancing and singing.” In another contentious comment on patients at Paota district hospital in Jodhpur, he allegedly said women arrived at the govt facility after being ‘tossed around’ by private hospitals.Opposition members and health activists said the minister’s tone, amid ongoing investigations, undermined confidence in the state’s response.Khimsar, however, rejected any common thread linking the recent incidents across districts and said the cases should not be “clubbed together.” His statement followed reports that eight women developed complications after delivery at Paota district hospital in Jodhpur.Providing an update, Khimsar said six women were stable under supervision, while two were serious due to pre-existing illnesses. “A postpartum woman with high diabetes and blood pressure, referred from Paota district hospital and admitted to MDM Hospital, Jodhpur, has been shifted to AIIMS Jodhpur for better medical care. Another postpartum woman suffering from jaundice is being treated by specialist doctors and will also be shifted to AIIMS Jodhpur for specialised care,” he said.He insisted the eight women had arrived with “different complex medical conditions” and reiterated public trust in govt hospitals, claiming a “99.99% delivery success rate”.Khimsar said prima facie there was no negligence, but action would follow if lapses were found, adding that incidents are investigated with “sensitivity, promptness and impartiality.” In the Kota case, he said, one doctor was removed, two doctors and two nursing officers were suspended, and show-cause notices were issued to hospital superintendents.
