Covid-19 impacts C-section deliveries, most states register a drop: Report
Jharkhand has seen the trend reverse during the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the C-section deliveries increased 8-9 per cent in the state in May as compared to April.
The coronavirus disease has led to a decrease in the number of caesarian deliveries across the country. Districts like Lucknow, Moradabad and Agra in Uttar Pradesh have seen the C-section deliveries drop by up to two-third, Hindustan Times’ Hindi language publication Hindustan reported on Sunday.
In Uttar Pradesh, 3.6 lakh babies have taken birth in the last 80 days. Usually, the women opted for C-section, but during Covid-19, they have avoided the procedure. In the last 20 days, just one thousand babies out of a total number of 90,000 were born surgically.
Hindustan spoke to Dr Deepa Tyagi, the chief medical superintendent (CMS) of women’s hospital in Ghaziabad, who said that the fall in the number C-section deliveries is marginal in the district. However, the number of deliveries have dropped in the city hospitals. Women are preferring to give birth at their homes with the help of personal physicians.
In Noida, 1,246 children were born through surgery. By April, this number fell to 811. This shows a drop of 35 per cent. According to senior gynecologist Dr Nirupama Singh, 4,572 children were born in the month of January, out of which 1,194 were through C-section. In May, there were 2,204 births out of which 708 were surgical.
In Aligarh, the number has dropped by a staggering 90 per cent.
In Faridabad, part of the National Capital Region (NCR) near Delhi, registered a drop in the number of C-section deliveries during the Covid-19 crisis. The district recorded 140-160 caesarian deliveries and 400 normal ones on an avergage every month. Since the Covid-19 outbreak was reported in March, 81 children were born surgically and 310 came into the world naturally. This was a drop of 57 per cent.
“There has been a fall in C-section deliveries due to the fear of infection,” said Dr Punita Hasija, president of the Faridabad chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
In Uttarakhand, the US Udhamsingh Nagar has seen a drastic fall in the number of caesarian deliveries. The Rudrapur hospital in the district held 40-42 such surgeries. The number halved in the month of April. However, other districts in the state are reporting marginal fall in such procedures.
Jharkhand has seen the trend reverse during the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the C-section deliveries increased 8-9 per cent in the state in May as compared to April. At the Sadar hospital in Ranchi, there were 101 C-section deliveries out of a total of 240 in the month of April. In May, 119 out of 315 deliveries were held surgically.
