Rajasthan Oxytocin Tragedy: 7 Mothers Die, Manufacturing License Cancelled as WHO Intervenes

JAIPUR (IANS): A series of unexplained maternal deaths in Rajasthan has snowballed into a nationwide drug safety investigation.

Seven women, who had recently given birth, died over a span of less than two months. In response, the Union Health Ministry has cancelled the manufacturing license of the company producing the Oxytocin injection linked to the tragedies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stepped in, demanding a detailed report from the Indian government regarding the crisis.

Substandard Drug Triggers National Action

The crackdown follows investigations into the quality of ‘TOCIN’ (Oxytocin Injection 5 ml), which M/s Jackson Laboratories Private Limited manufactures in Amritsar. Laboratory analysis by the Rajasthan Drug Control Department revealed that the sample failed to meet quality standards because it lacked the prescribed quantity of the active ingredient, Oxytocin.

Following these findings, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) inspected the company’s manufacturing units in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The CDSCO recommended the immediate cancellation of the company’s manufacturing license—a directive the Union Health Ministry promptly executed.

The Ministry has now ordered the Rajasthan government to submit a comprehensive factual report as part of a wider investigation.

Chronology of the Tragedy

Investigators focused on medicines administered during delivery after mounting questions surrounded the cluster of maternal deaths. The deceased women include:

• Payal: Died at New Medical Hospital, Kota (May 5)
• Jyoti: Died on May 7
• Priya Mahawar: Died at J.K. Lon Hospital, Kota (May 9)
• Pinki Mahawar: Died on May 10
• Shireen: Died at New Medical Hospital, Kota (May 17)
• Preeti: Died at PBM Hospital, Bikaner (June 19)
• Sharda Nayak: Died at PBM Hospital, Bikaner (June 21)

Global Health Body Demands Answers

The case has drawn international attention because healthcare providers worldwide rely on Oxytocin as a critical medicine in maternity care. Doctors routinely administer the drug to induce labour, manage incomplete miscarriages, and control post-delivery bleeding—one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Any compromise in its quality carries fatal consequences for both mothers and newborns.

The WHO’s intervention extends beyond Rajasthan. The global health body has asked India whether similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in the country and whether distributors shipped the defective batches outside the state.

Authorities are currently tracking supply chains, batch distribution records, and hospital procurement systems to determine the full scale of the crisis. Officials state that the ongoing investigation will establish whether the substandard drug directly caused the maternal deaths and whether the government needs to implement stricter quality surveillance for essential medicines in public healthcare facilities.