Ballari: A worrying trend of maternal deaths in Ballari continues, as another fatality was reported on Saturday. Mahadevi, a 21-year-old woman from Kolur village in Kurugodu taluk, passed away a week after delivering a baby girl at Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) on January 25.

Mahadevi underwent a caesarean section, but five days after her delivery, she succumbed to an infection. Her family suspects medical negligence as the cause of her death. “Mahadevi was in good health until she developed a high fever three days ago. The doctors claimed her death was due to an infection, but they did not provide proper treatment,” said her husband, Nandish. A relative, Honnuramma, added that a prescription for external medications and a nebuliser machine was given but not utilized, further indicating a lack of appropriate care.

Gadilingappa, Mahadevi’s uncle, suggested that the infection could have been due to improper cleaning of the operating room or equipment. In response to the incident, BIMS director Dr. Gangadharagouda confirmed that the death was caused by ‘thromboembolism’ but promised an investigation, assuring strict action if negligence is found.

This marks the sixth maternal death at BIMS, following a series of 23 maternal deaths in the district over the past eight months. The government has yet to release the investigation report into these fatalities, despite an earlier inquiry that linked the deaths to contaminated IV solutions.