Patiala, Dec. 13 -- Rising maternal deaths in Punjab are being driven by lack of follow-up for high-risk pregnancies, home deliveries by lay midwives and deliveries handled by untrained staff, pointing to serious lapses in the state's healthcare system.

A review meeting by the Punjab health department on Friday revealed these failures, including gross negligence by health personnel.

In one case of negligence in the Tarn Taran district, a pregnant woman delivered a baby at home. But died due to infection after allegedly remaining unattended for 18 days. Even the newborn was not given the mandatory immunisation at birth by a health professional.

"This is a serious lapse on the part of the district health officials. We have sought an expl...