Increasing number of caesarean births have become a cause for concern inAndhra Pradesh. Even as per the official data, over 50% of the total deliveries occurred at the private hospitals in the last two years in the state are surgical deliveries or C-section births. This stood at about 45% even if the institutional deliveries happened at public Health facilities were taken into consideration. The international healthcare community considers 10-15% C-sections as the ideal rate.
While some people are preferring C-sections on what they believe as an auspicious day or time, a few hospitals are opting for C-sections as they can charge more compared to normal delivery. Some facilities are inclining towards the surgical deliveries to make a fast buck under the Dr YSRAarogyasrischeme, which gives a higher coverage for the C-sections. In some cases, public themselves demand a C-section with a belief that it is a safe option than that of normal birth.
It is assumed that 15% of the pregnancies will land into complication, requiring surgical intervention. Here the caesarean section becomes a lifesaving surgery for the mother and the child.World Health Organisation, in its statement released in April 2015, stated that at Population level, C-section rates higher than 10% are not associated with reductions in maternal and new-born mortality rates. As in other surgeries, C-sections also have inherent risk of surgical and anaesthetic complications.