NEW DELHI: More women from the highest income quintile are delivering by caesarean section (C-section), even in government hospitals, according to a new study.
A wealth quintile is a statistical value that divides the population into five equal-sized groups based on wealth, with each quintile representing 20% of the population.
Only 6% of women belong to the lowest wealth, or poorest. C-section delivery In government hospitals across India. The rest went for normal deliveries, according to research published in the Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia, which reports data on C-section delivery rates in the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21). Based on a cross-sectional analysis of .
It said that the percentage of women undergoing C-section delivery in government hospitals in the poor, middle, rich and richest categories was 11%, 18%, 21% and 25% of the total births in the respective wealth figures. A C-section delivery is a surgical technique that involves making an incision in the abdomen to deliver one or more infants. When medically justified, this procedure can be life-saving. However, when not strictly necessary, it can cause negative health outcomes, lead to unnecessary costs, and put pressure on scarcity. Public health Resources
Dr Anita Gadgil, co-author of the study, told TOI that a major reason for the low rate of C-section deliveries among the poor could be lack of awareness even in public health facilities, where the procedure is done free of charge. .
“Furthermore, sometimes poor women can’t reach top centers where C-section deliveries are available, or they don’t have the money and resources to get there. These people are often asked to provide financial assistance in such cases. are least aware of government schemes for
While southern states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have high C-section delivery rates (up to 60%), states with a predominantly poor population such as Bihar, Assam and Chhattisgarh have a higher rate, the study said. C-section rates are low.
Dr. Gadgill, who works at the George Institute for Global Health, said the low rates indicate that women who need the procedure do not have adequate access, resulting in maternal and newborn deaths. Mortality and morbidity increase. On the other hand, high rates suggest overuse without medical necessity, which is associated with high rates of adverse outcomes and misallocation of resources.
A recent study conducted by researchers at IIT-Madras revealed that the prevalence of C-sections across India increased from 17% to 21.5% from 2016 to 2021. In the private sector, the figures are 43 percent (2016) and 50 percent (50 percent). 2021) means that almost one in two deliveries in the private sector is a C-section.
The researchers found that better-educated women living in urban areas were more likely to deliver by C-section, suggesting that greater autonomy and better access to health care facilities contributed to the increase in C-section prevalence. Pays.