C-section crisis in Telangana set to get worse

A year into its term, the Congress-led State government appears to be devoid of any concrete ideas on how to address the crisis of cesarean pregnancies in Telangana State

Hyderabad: The decision by the Congress-led State government to curtail major initiatives aimed at encouraging maternal and child health is threatening to cast a long shadow over C-sections in Telangana State.

A year into its term, the Congress-led State government appears to be devoid of any concrete ideas on how to address the crisis of cesarean deliveries in Telangana State.

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Given the total lack of public health advocacy regarding cesarean sections, senior health officials who were earlier involved in similar initiatives, express concern that the extremely high rates of Cesarean sections in Telangana State could persist, and may even worsen in the coming years.

A concerted multi-pronged effort, including consistent massive awareness programs to regulate C-sections, which were implemented under the previous BRS regime, is yet to be taken-up in Telangana State.

The gradual erosion of unique mother and child centric initiatives, such as KCR Kits, nutritional supplementation for pregnant women with anaemia, the establishment of more milk banks in addition to the existing one at Niloufer Hospital and conducting awareness programs by involving different cross-section of the society, are expected to further exacerbate the situation of cesarean sections in Telangana State, senior doctors familiar with the issue said.

To encourage normal deliveries, the earlier BRS government had held multiple meetings with private health care establishments to encourage them to avoid unnecessary C-sections and take-up more normal deliveries. Similar efforts are totally absent in the present Congress-led State government, even after a year in power.

In the last decade, there was a concerted effort to utilize services of midwives to ensure safe and enjoyable normal deliveries for pregnant women in Government hospitals. “Some of these initiatives are still there. However, what is lacking is total lack of advocacy and specific focus to reduce the C-sections in Telangana State,” public health officials summed it up.

The situation:

• In South India: Telangana:  NFHS-4 (2015-16): 57.7 percent; NFHS-4 (2019-20): 60.7 percent
• Kerala: NFHS-4 (2015-16): 40.1 percent; NFHS-4 (2019-20): 42.4  percent
• Andhra Pradesh: NFHS-4 (2015-16): 40.1 percent; NFHS-4 (2019-20): 42.4  percent
• Karnataka: NFHS-4 (2015-16): 23.6 percent; NFHS-4 (2019-20): 31.5 percent
• Estimated 6.55 lakh deliveries in Telangana every yer
• 45 percent of C-sections happen in Government hospitals
• Percentage of C-sections in districts between 75 percent and 80 percent
• In Hyderabad and RR district, C-sections percentage is between 40 and 44 percent