12,438 Child Deaths, No Answers
• Shocking Health Crisis in Maharashtra
• 843 Wombs, 1 Grim Pattern
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Maharashtra’s Public Health Department has reported 12,438 child deaths in 11 months and 843 hysterectomies among Beed’s female labourers over six years. Despite claiming to have achieved UN neonatal mortality targets, systemic healthcare failures persist. Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) reveals alarming gaps in regulation, accountability, and women’s health rights.
Public Health Department Confirms Grim Statistics
In a startling revelation, the Maharashtra Public Health Department has confirmed that 12,438 child deaths occurred in the state between April 2024 and February 2025. The data was disclosed in a written response to a legislative query raised by BJP MLA Uma Khapre. Despite these alarming numbers, the department has claimed that Maharashtra has already achieved the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing the neonatal mortality rate to 12—five years ahead of the 2030 deadline.
This contradiction between official claims and ground realities has triggered widespread concern across medical, political, and public health circles. The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) has accessed internal documents suggesting that the number of deaths, particularly in under-resourced districts, may reflect deeper systemic issues in neonatal and child healthcare delivery.
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Kolhapur Records 1,736 Child Deaths in Four Years
Further raising red flags, the health department acknowledged that 1,736 children died in Kolhapur district alone over a four-year period. The breakdown includes 1,344 deaths under municipal records, 318 under district health officers, and 74 under the district civil surgeon’s jurisdiction. Despite these grim statistics, authorities maintain that Maharashtra’s current neonatal mortality rate (NMR) stands at 11, slightly below the UN-mandated threshold.
To achieve this target, the state cited initiatives such as Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs), Newborn Stabilization Units, Child Death Review mechanisms, National Child Health Programme (RBSK), immunization drives, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. However, the high number of deaths has led experts to question the effectiveness of these schemes in rural and semi-urban belts.
Mass Hysterectomies Among Beed’s Women Labourers
In another disturbing disclosure, 843 women sugarcane labourers in Beed district were subjected to hysterectomies over the past six years, as revealed in a separate response by the health department to MLA Milind Narvekar. The department stated that Beed has approximately 78,476 female sugarcane labourers, and many underwent uterus removal surgeries allegedly to avoid menstruation during harvest season.
According to the department’s reply, 576 hysterectomies were performed before 2019, and 267 after 2019, totaling 843 cases. The 2024–25 health survey of women labourers revealed that these surgeries were often medically unjustified or performed without adequate counselling or informed consent, raising serious concerns about women’s reproductive rights and medical ethics in the unregulated private healthcare sector.
Systemic Failures Demand Urgent Policy Intervention
The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) has found mounting evidence that suggests regulatory gaps, weak monitoring, and socio-economic exploitation lie at the root of both child deaths and unnecessary hysterectomies. Public health experts and activists are demanding immediate interventions from the National Health Mission, the Women and Child Development Department, and the Maharashtra Health Ministry.
“If the state claims to have met global child mortality targets, then how do we explain thousands of preventable deaths and surgeries?” asked one senior paediatrician familiar with the matter. The need for transparent audits, independent investigations, and strict enforcement of medical protocols has never been more urgent.
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Grim Numbers, Grave Questions
While Maharashtra’s health department projects a confident narrative of success on paper, the real-world data paints a darker picture. From thousands of child deaths to coerced surgeries on marginalised women, the crisis calls for honest introspection and policy accountability.
The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) will continue to investigate these matters and seek accountability from authorities responsible for protecting the most vulnerable sections of society.
