AIIMS Probe Prompts Rajasthan Government to Tighten Infection Control, OT Management and ICU Monitoring Across Medical Colleges
In a major patient safety initiative, the Rajasthan Medical Education Department has directed all government medical colleges and their attached hospitals to ensure the strict implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across labour rooms, operation theatres (OTs), intensive care units (ICUs), and other critical care areas following a series of maternal deaths and post-surgical complications.
The directive comes after the deaths of seven women following childbirth in Kota and Bikaner, along with serious complications reported in eight women after Caesarean deliveries at Paota District Hospital in Jodhpur. An investigation conducted by AIIMS Delhi identified significant gaps in the implementation of SOPs in labour rooms, operation theatres, and critical care units.
Earlier, eight women developed severe health complications after undergoing Caesarean sections at the Jodhpur hospital, prompting a high-level inquiry and raising fresh concerns over patient safety and healthcare standards in Rajasthan’s public hospitals.
Based on the AIIMS recommendations, the state government has instructed all medical institutions to strengthen infection prevention measures, improve operation theatre management, enhance critical care systems, and ensure uniform clinical practices. Hospitals have also been directed to adopt and implement treatment protocols issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
According to a senior Medical Education Department official quoted by The Times of India, every department in medical colleges must prepare SOPs in line with national guidelines, circulate them among faculty members, resident doctors, and healthcare staff, and conduct regular training sessions to ensure strict compliance.
The order has been issued to principals and controllers of medical colleges, hospital superintendents, and principal medical officers (PMOs) of district hospitals, making them directly responsible for implementing the guidelines and submitting compliance reports.
Department heads have also been instructed to prominently display SOPs across hospital departments and ensure that all clinical procedures are carried out strictly according to the prescribed protocols.
As part of the new infection control measures, doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff have been prohibited from travelling between home and hospital in OT or ICU scrubs. Healthcare personnel must report to work in regular clothes and change into designated hospital uniforms before entering operation theatres or intensive care units. Wearing OT or ICU scrubs outside designated critical care zones has also been prohibited.
The directive further mandates that patients be shifted to operation theatres only in clean hospital-issued gowns. Hospitals have also been instructed to avoid overcrowding outside OT complexes by transferring patients no more than 15 minutes before scheduled surgeries.
To strengthen critical care services, the government has made continuous monitoring mandatory in all ICUs. Every ICU must have a designated doctor on duty at all times, while hourly bedside charts must document vital signs, fluid balance, ventilator settings, and administration of high-risk medications. Any deterioration in a patient’s condition must be immediately escalated to senior consultants.
The latest measures are aimed at improving patient safety, standardising clinical practices, reducing hospital-acquired infections, and preventing avoidable maternal and post-operative complications across Rajasthan’s government healthcare institutions.
