BHUBANESWAR: Despite Odisha Government's tall claims of registering higher institutional delivery, private hospitals recorded more caesarean section as compared to Government health centres in the State.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), while Government hospitals have witnessed a slight rise in the surgical birth rate in the State, private hospitals are increasingly adopting c-section to deliver babies.
The survey has summed up some interesting facts on preference of rural and urban people while deciding on a health facility for delivery. It says more people living in rural areas chose the private health facilities for caesarean deliveries than their urban counterparts.
Caesarean deliveries in private hospitals of the State now stands at 53.7 per cent (pc) which was 32.4 pc in 2005-06. But there has been a growth of only 1.5 pc deliveries in public health facilities over the period. About 11.5 pc women delivered babies in Government hospitals in 2015-16 which was 10 per cent 10 years ago.
Though the number of institutional delivery has been doubled in the last one decade and the growth rate of institutional births at public health facilities is quite satisfactory, the survey says more urban people prefer going to public hospitals for caesarean section.
The c-section in private health facilities in rural areas is 56 pc as against 49.5 pc in urban localities. But the Government hospitals in rural areas recorded 10.4 pc caesarean deliveries whereas 19.1 pc have been conducted in public hospitals in urban areas.The NFHS-IV indicates that institutional delivery has gone up from 35.6 pc in 2005-06 to 85.4 pc in 2015-16 and births in public facilities has shot up from 28.8 pc to 75.9 pc during the period.
While birth assisted by doctor/nurse or other health personnel has shot up to 86.6 pc, the number of home deliveries conducted by skilled health personnel has, however, dropped from 8.3 pc in 2005-06 to 3.3 pc in 2015-16. Only 1.3 pc home deliveries assisted by skilled health workers have been reported from urban areas. Even as the exact reason behind the rising number of c-sections in private hospitals has not been made public officially, people claimed that Government institutions were ill-equipped to handle c-section whereas private hospitals have been successful in persuading pregnant women to go under the knife in their facilities.
Director (Family Welfare) Dr B K Mishra said all pregnant women can deliver normal or through c-section in public health institutions without any cost. "The State has recorded significant growth in institutional deliveries. The State-run hospitals are also well-equipped to handle c-sections. But what can we do if people prefer private hospitals," he said.
Meanwhile, increasing number of caesarean deliveries in private hospitals has raised concern among health activists. "People are falling prey to a well organised racket of health facilities and medicine companies. Most of the private hospitals advise people to go for c-section citing complications even though most of those can be done normally. The Government should initiate measures to check it," said an activist Mrutyunjay Das.