Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday, December 16, highlighted the rising trend of Caesarean surgery (C-section) deliveries in the state, announcing plans to implement a comprehensive programme to reduce them. Responding to a query in the Legislative Council in Belagavi, the Minister said that the C-section rate in Karnataka has surged from 35% in 2021-2022 to 38% in 2022-2023, with the current rate standing at 46%. Private hospitals, in particular, are reporting a C-section rate of 61%, he said.
“Private hospitals are increasingly performing Caesarean deliveries because they generate more income from C-sections and can be performed easily. It is essential to curb this from the point of view of the health of the mother and the child,” he said.
Responding to a question by MLC Jagadev Guttedar, Dinesh said the programme format was nearly finalised and would be announced next month. He said that doctors and hospital staff would be encouraged to prioritise natural deliveries and perform C-sections only when medically necessary.
The Minister also highlighted the government's efforts to meet the growing demand for maternal care by opening several maternal and child hospitals across the state. Currently, 60 out of the 88 planned hospitals are operational. “These centres offer comprehensive obstetric services 24/7, and we are encouraging natural deliveries at these facilities,” he added.
In a related development, Dinesh Gundu Rao informed the House that 46 individuals had been arrested in connection with female foeticide cases. Since 2023-24, eight cases of female foeticide have been reported in the state, with increased surveillance of scanning centres and hospitals leading to the detection of these crimes. He explained that the government had established statutory committees under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act across districts and mandated the registration of all scanning centres in the state through the ‘Balika’ online software since 2018. Information technology is being leveraged to monitor sex ratio data at the village level to prevent foeticide, he added.
Regarding the issue of fake doctors, the Minister revealed that 134 fake clinics had been found in Kolar district alone over the past three years. He expressed frustration over the difficulty in filing cases against the alleged fake doctors, citing opposition from local community leaders, religious figures, and some legislators.