Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday blamed "greedy doctors" for the highest number of cesarean births in the state, saying they encourage the practice for money.
Speaking in the state Assembly, CM Naidu highlighted that 90 per cent of all cesarean section (C-Section) operations are taking place in private hospitals, news agency PTI reported.
"56.62 per cent cesarean deliveries. This is a dangerous trend. These doctors are also everywhere, for money. Instead of practising safe delivery, they are encouraging caesarean (operations)," said Naidu, emphasising that the state has the highest number of C-Section operations in the country.
ALSO READ | Punjab’s C-section rate nears alarming 50%, sparks concern
He further tasked health minister Satya Kumar Yadav to inform the doctors that the government does not approve of this practice, directing him to focus on enabling safe deliveries from now on.
According to the CM, 4.2 per cent of funds under Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust are being spent on C-Section deliveries.
Meanwhile, deputy speaker K Raghurama Krishna Raju said that delivery dates are being "fixed" for pregnant women one month in advance, suggesting that some families opt for an "auspicious" time of delivery instead of letting the process take its natural course.
ALSO READ | C-section vs. vaginal birth: Medical indications and myths; doctor explains
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, deputy speaker K Raghurama Krishna Raju said that delivery dates are being "fixed" for pregnant women one month in advance, suggesting that some families opt for an "auspicious" time of delivery instead of letting the process take its natural course.
ALSO READ | C-section vs. vaginal birth: Medical indications and myths; doctor explains
{{/usCountry}}CM Naidu responded to Raju and said, "They are setting up muhurats (fixed auspicious time) and then doing the deliveries. That is wrong." He added that the body given by God should not undergo surgery unless it is really needed.
C-Section deliveries in India
According to the ministry of health and family welfare's last two NFHS (National Family Health Survey) reports, the rate of C-section deliveries across India increased from 17.2 per cent (2015-16 [NFHS-4]) to 21.5 per cent (2019-2021 [NFHS-5]).
Meanwhile, a study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras also discovered a sharp increase in the number of C-section deliveries across the nation between 2016 and 2021.
The rate of C-section births in the private sector stood at 43.1 per cent in 2016 and 49.7 per cent in 2021, indicating that nearly one in two deliveries in the private sector is a cesarean birth.
ALSO READ | Karnataka government to implement new program to curb C-section deliveries: Dinesh Gundu Rao
"The odds of a cesarean delivery among overweight women and those aged 35-49 were twice those for underweight women and those aged 15-24,respectively. The proportion of overweight women giving birth increased from 3% to 18.7%, while that of women aged 35-49 decreased slightly from 11.1% to 10.9%," IIT Madras' study findings as published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Chennai read.
It said that overall, women delivering at private healthcare facilities were four times more likely to have a cesarean delivery over the period of 2016-2021.
The World Health Organisation reportedly recommends that the rate for C-section deliveries be between 10% and 15%.