Bikaner, July 16 -- A 25-year-old woman died at Bikaner's PBM Hospital on Tuesday following complications after a Caesarean delivery on June 9, officials said on Wednesday. This is the fourth postpartum death at the government hospital in recent weeks and the 19th such death in state-run hospitals since May. Of the 19 maternal deaths recorded across state in the past three months, five were reported from Kota, three from Bikaner, two from Jodhpur, and nine from Bhilwara and Banswara. Kamla Meghwal, who had undergone a Caesarean section on June 9, had remained admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for more than a month after developing severe complications. According to her husband, Meghraj, she had been on ventilator support for around 15 days and underwent a tracheostomy five days ago. On Tuesday, she developed heavy bleeding from her throat and was taken to the operation theatre around 12.30 pm after doctors informed the family that surgical packing needed to be removed. She was shifted back to the ICU about an hour later, and the family was informed of her death at around 4.15 pm. Police were deployed outside the mortuary after the woman's family staged the protest, alleging they were kept in the dark about her condition and that the body was shifted without their consent. The protest was led by Congress leaders, who demanded accountability from the hospital administration and sought an independent probe into the maternal deaths. Rejecting allegations of negligence, SP Medical College principal Dr Surendra Verma said Kamla had been suffering from Type-1 diabetes and was not taking insulin regularly before admission. He said, "Her condition deteriorated after delivery and progressed to multi-organ dysfunction. Despite continuous treatment and consultations with specialists at AIIMS, she suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest on Tuesday and could not be revived. The patient had received intensive multidisciplinary treatment for more than a month." Health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar, who visited Banswara district hospital on Wednesday said only two of the four women had died during childbirth, adding that not all the fatalities were directly linked to delivery-related complications. He said one woman was two months pregnant and had allegedly taken abortion pills without consultation, and her condition had already worsened before she reached the hospital. The other deaths were attributed to severe health conditions with some patients already critical. The state government has announced a statewide five-day intensive screening campaign for pregnant women beginning July 15 to strengthen maternal and child healthcare and curb maternal mortality. Meanwhile, four of five women currently admitted at Kota Medical College Hospital, after their health deteriorated following Caesarean deliveries, publicly refused dialysis on Tuesday. College Principal Dr. Nilesh Jain said the condition of all five has improved considerably. Dialysis is being administered only when medically required and will continue until their kidneys recover sufficiently, he said....