Hyderabad: Telangana government has begun to place special focus on reducing the number of unnecessary C-Section deliveries in the state.
State Health minister T Harish Rao told media persons on Friday that a two-pronged approach will be implemented by the government to tackle the rising rates of C-section (Cesarean delivery) deliveries.
An incentive of Rs 3,000 will be offered to government hospital staff on increasing normal delivery rates, while private nursing hospitals that report high C-section rates will have their registrations suspended.
The minister cited the Health department’s analysis, which shows that the issue of C-section deliveries is predominant in North Telangana, where some nursing homes have conducted 99 percent of all deliveries using the C-Section procedure.
The data on hospitals in Mahbubnagar and Zaheerabad show that nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the deliveries were normal. The District Collectors and District Medical Officers have been directed to specifically hold each and every hospital accountable to reduce the number of C-section deliveries.
Harish Rao also said that said CCTV cameras have been installed at PHCs to check staff presence, in a bid to make government hospitals more reliable. He also said that each doctor will be individually monitoring the number of patients they treat. The decision was taken after it was found that some professors at Gandhi Hospital had not conducted a single operation over the last 20 years.
The government is also considering introducing a clause in the new recruitment policy that will restrict government hospital doctors from private practice.
Last week, Harish Rao had spoken to citizens of Siddipet about the dangers of C-Section deliveries. “Telangana has a 62 percent rate of C-section births, the most of any state in the country. Children born of C-sections are weaker than those born of natural births,” he said.
He said that because of superstitions about auspicious timing, parents are rushing for deliveries and opting for C-sections, which had to stop.