<p>New Delhi: Over one-fifth of deliveries in India are performed via caesarean section, with a higher proportion of these surgeries taking place in private facilities compared to public ones, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia journal.</p>.<p>A caesarean delivery is performed by surgically cutting through a pregnant woman's abdomen and uterus.</p>.<p>Researchers, including those from The George Institute for Global Health in New Delhi, analysed live birth data of over 7.2 lakh women aged 15-49 years across 28 states and eight union territories, collected during the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021).</p>.<p>"India’s caesarean delivery rate of 21.5 per cent suggests adequate national access but may mask significant disparities," the authors wrote.</p>.<p>Caesarean, or C-section, delivery rates across states were found to substantially vary, "ranging from 5.2 per cent in Nagaland to 60.7 per cent in Telangana".</p>.UP woman, newborn die during C-section; family accuses doctor of negligence.<p>Facilities performing caesarean deliveries were higher among private health care units, compared to public centres across all wealth groups, the authors found.</p>.<p>However, within private facilities too, wealth disparities were found to exist, with fewer C-section deliveries among the least wealthy and more among the wealthier sections.</p>.<p>"The study concluded that both high-income and low-income individuals in India are more likely to receive caesarean deliveries in private rather than public facilities," the authors noted.</p>.<p>Caesarean delivery rates were at least twice as high among the wealthiest groups compared to the poorest in nearly 70 per cent of states, the study found.</p>.<p>Arunachal Pradesh had a relatively low C-section delivery rate of 14.5 per cent and showed low inequality, while southern states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana exhibited high rates C-section delivery with lower inequality.</p>.<p>The variation could be attributed to factors such as improved access to healthcare, higher literacy rates, and a stronger Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the authors suggested.</p>.<p>Cultural and social factors may also play a role in the higher number of caesarean deliveries, including fear of normal childbirth, a desire to deliver on an auspicious day, and preferences for painless deliveries or smaller families.</p>.<p>In Bihar, where much of the population belongs to lower wealth groups, there was a higher preference for vaginal deliveries due to their affordability and shorter recovery times, even when medical professionals recommended a C-section. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Over one-fifth of deliveries in India are performed via caesarean section, with a higher proportion of these surgeries taking place in private facilities compared to public ones, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia journal.</p>.<p>A caesarean delivery is performed by surgically cutting through a pregnant woman's abdomen and uterus.</p>.<p>Researchers, including those from The George Institute for Global Health in New Delhi, analysed live birth data of over 7.2 lakh women aged 15-49 years across 28 states and eight union territories, collected during the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021).</p>.<p>"India’s caesarean delivery rate of 21.5 per cent suggests adequate national access but may mask significant disparities," the authors wrote.</p>.<p>Caesarean, or C-section, delivery rates across states were found to substantially vary, "ranging from 5.2 per cent in Nagaland to 60.7 per cent in Telangana".</p>.UP woman, newborn die during C-section; family accuses doctor of negligence.<p>Facilities performing caesarean deliveries were higher among private health care units, compared to public centres across all wealth groups, the authors found.</p>.<p>However, within private facilities too, wealth disparities were found to exist, with fewer C-section deliveries among the least wealthy and more among the wealthier sections.</p>.<p>"The study concluded that both high-income and low-income individuals in India are more likely to receive caesarean deliveries in private rather than public facilities," the authors noted.</p>.<p>Caesarean delivery rates were at least twice as high among the wealthiest groups compared to the poorest in nearly 70 per cent of states, the study found.</p>.<p>Arunachal Pradesh had a relatively low C-section delivery rate of 14.5 per cent and showed low inequality, while southern states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana exhibited high rates C-section delivery with lower inequality.</p>.<p>The variation could be attributed to factors such as improved access to healthcare, higher literacy rates, and a stronger Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the authors suggested.</p>.<p>Cultural and social factors may also play a role in the higher number of caesarean deliveries, including fear of normal childbirth, a desire to deliver on an auspicious day, and preferences for painless deliveries or smaller families.</p>.<p>In Bihar, where much of the population belongs to lower wealth groups, there was a higher preference for vaginal deliveries due to their affordability and shorter recovery times, even when medical professionals recommended a C-section. </p>