With Karnataka registering an average of 46 percent of all childbirths through Caesarean sections, the state government is set to roll out a targeted programme next month for staff at govt hospitals to reduce increased reliance on surgical deliveries. The initiative, which will focus on training healthcare providers and creating awareness, comes in response to the growing disparity between delivery practices in government and private hospitals.
While the percentage of Caesarean deliveries in govt hospitals is 36 percent, it stands at 61 percent in private hospitals. What is shocking is that in some private hospitals, it exceeds 90 percent, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told the legislative council.
During 2021-22, Karnataka reported 32 percent Caesarean deliveries, which increased to 38 percent in 2022-23, and to 46 percent in 2023-24, he said.
Rao explained that many expectant mothers opt for surgical births for fear of natural delivery. The medical fraternity must work on preparing women mentally and physically for normal deliveries.
As part of the new state initiative, the govt has already trained nursing superintendents under an 18-month midwifery project at Vani Vilas Hospital and Fernandez Foundation. These specialists are now training healthcare providers at hospitals in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi.
By July 2025, Midwifery-led Care Units will be operational in Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru district hospitals. Moreover, the minister said 25 nurses from Bengaluru are undergoing Nurse Practitioner Midwifery training, which will conclude by Dec 2025. Once their training is complete, MLCU units will be set up in district hospitals in Kolar, Bengaluru, Davanagere, and Tumakuru, Rao added.
Regular audits of C-section delivery practices at district and taluk hospitals are also being done to regulate the rates effectively.
