C-section deliveries see eight-fold rise in 14 yrs!

Bangladesh has witnessed a whopping eight-fold rise in caesarean section (C-section) deliveries in 14 years, says a new study.

It reached 33.22% against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of 15% of total birth delivery.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) conducted the research titled, “Massive Boom of C-Section Delivery in Bangladesh: A Household Level Analysis (2004-2018)”.

The overall prevalence of C-section in Bangladesh was 3.99% in 2004 but it jumped to 33.22 % in 2018.

This study was aimed at assessing the national trend of C-section deliveries and find out the associated factors in Bangladesh.

According to the study, the annual percentage changes of C-section delivery were 16.34 on average from 2004 to 2017-18, which is alarming.

The C-section was high among urban mothers (12% in 2004 and 44% in 2017-18), while the rural mother also utilized CS services alarmingly.

In 2004, the prevalence of C-section deliveries was only 2% at rural level and the rate jumped to 29 percent in 2017-18. The annual percentage change of C-section delivery was 10% among urban mother while it was 21 percent for rural mothers.

The study observed that the C-section deliveries were higher in private facilities (46.2% in 2014 and 52% in 2017-18) than public facilities (12% in 2014 and 10.6% in 2017-18).