About:
- C-section is a life-saving intervention for women and newborns when complications occur, such as bleeding, foetal distress, hypertensive disease, and babies in abnormal position.
- However, the surgery is not without risk for mother and child, and is associated with complications in future births.
- It is estimated that 10-15% of births medically require a C-section due to complications, suggesting that average C-section use should lie between these levels.
Key findings of Lancet Journal:
- Globally, C-section use has increased from 12% of live births (16 million of 131.9 million) in 2000, to 21% of live births (29.7 million of 140.6 million) in 2015, researchers said.
- In India, The number of babies born through C-Section increased from 9% in 2005-6 to 18.5% in 2015-16.
- While the surgery is still unavailable for many women and children in low-income countries and regions, the procedure is overused in many middle-and high-income settings. In at least 15 countries, C-section use exceeds 40%.
- The South Asia region has seen the most rapid increase in C-section use (6.1% per year) in the period 2000 – 2015.
