Unnecessary C-sections up by 51 %: Report

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 04:00, Jun 21, 2019 | Updated : 04:00, Jun 21, 2019

There has been a 51 percent rise in unnecessary caesarean operations in the last two years, according to a Save the Children in Bangladesh report.There has been a 51 percent rise in unnecessary caesarean operations in the last two years, says a report.
The Bangladesh chapter of Save the Children on Thursday (Jun 20) unveiled the report that showed that unnecessary caesarean births are costing patients 483 million dollars per year, reports UNB.
The publication showed that an estimated 860,000 of these unnecessary surgeries took place in 2018 alone.
Moreover, up to 300,000 women in need of C-section were unable to afford or access it, the report said.
The surge in popularity is lining up affluent mothers for unnecessary C-sections under the belief that it’ll be more comfortable, said Dr Ishtiaq Mannan, Deputy Country Director of Save the Children in Bangladesh.
“Poorer women who desperately need the operation can’t access it. It’s simply astonishing,” he added, according to UNB.
Mannan pointed out that not only do these operations take away the benefits of a natural birth, it also puts the mother and the babies at more risk of infection, excessive bleeding, organ damage and blood clots as well in addition to a significantly longer recovery time for the mother.
According to the report there are a mere 2,500 accredited midwives across the country against the recommended 22,000 making the issue more challenging to deal with.
The study showed that due to the poor regulation of the medical sector, nearly 80 percent of the births in the private hospitals across the country are through C-sections and that between 2004 and 2016 the rate of these operations increased from 4 per cent to 31 per cent.

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