2 days ago
India's Rising Caesarean Rates Raise Calls for Dignified Childbirth
A Caesarean section, or C-section, is an operation used to deliver a baby.
It can be very important when a mother or baby faces a serious medical problem.
But the article says too many operations may be taking place in some Indian hospitals.
C-section rates are especially high in many private hospitals.
In other areas, low rates may mean women cannot reach hospitals or receive emergency care when they need it.
Unnecessary operations can cause health problems for mothers and babies.
The article says money, scheduling and fear of lawsuits may sometimes influence decisions.
It recommends that hospitals publish their birth statistics and explain delivery choices clearly to pregnant women.
It also calls for privacy, consent and respectful treatment during childbirth.
NFHS-6 reports C-section rates above 50% in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir.
Private hospitals recorded C-section rates above 50% in 18 states and Union Territories, compared with below 50% in all government sectors.
India’s overall C-section rate rose from 21.5% in NFHS-5 to 27.2% in NFHS-6, while the private-sector rate reached 54.1%.
C-sections can save lives, but unnecessary procedures carry health risks and may be influenced by financial incentives, scheduling and legal concerns.
Proposed reforms include publishing hospital statistics, using the Robson classification, improving informed consent and institutionalising respectful maternity care.
- Who
- Pregnant women, newborns, hospitals, healthcare workers and health authorities in India are affected by the issue.
- What
- India is experiencing rising and uneven C-section rates, prompting calls for medically justified surgery and dignified, informed maternity care.
- Where
- The trend varies across India, with especially high rates reported in several private hospitals and states including Telangana, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal.
- When
- The cited figures cover NFHS-6 in 2023–24, SRS data for 2022–24, and changes from 2008–09 through 2024–25.
- Why
- The article links high rates to possible financial incentives, scheduling convenience and legal fears, while low rates can reflect poor access to hospitals and emergency care.
Concern About Overuse
Concern About Underuse
Appropriate C-section levels
Concern About Overuse
High rates may indicate unnecessary medical intervention, particularly where financial incentives, scheduling convenience or legal fears influence decisions.
Concern About Underuse
Low rates do not always indicate safer childbirth; they may show that women lack access to hospitals, doctors or emergency surgery.
Policy goal
Concern About Overuse
Hospitals should reduce unjustified procedures through transparency, peer review, better counselling and respectful maternity care.
Concern About Underuse
Efforts to lower overall rates must not discourage or deny C-sections that are clinically necessary and potentially lifesaving.
Key facts
- Highest overall C-section rate
- Telangana recorded 62.2% in NFHS-6, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 52.2%, Sikkim at 51.1% and Jammu & Kashmir at 51.0%.
- Private-sector rate
- The national private-sector C-section rate was 54.1%; Jammu & Kashmir had the highest cited private-sector rate at 90.0%.
- National trend
- The overall rate increased from 21.5% in NFHS-5 to 27.2% in NFHS-6.
- Long-term increase
- C-section deliveries rose from 12.03 lakh in 2008–09 to 54.35 lakh in 2024–25.
- Maternal health progress
- India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio declined from 130 to 87 per 100,000 live births, according to the cited SRS data.
- Risks of unnecessary surgery
- The article cites infection, haemorrhage, longer hospital stays and future-pregnancy complications for mothers, as well as respiratory distress and hypoglycaemia for newborns.
- Recommended transparency
- Hospitals are urged to display delivery statistics and report cases using the Robson Ten Group Classification System.
Sources
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