Karthik's musings

The Caesarean racket

Happened to read news item on the perils of Caesarean during delivery. Although the study is not India-specific, the warning is very much relevant. In India it has become a big time racket forcing women to have caesarean for delivering the baby. As per this Hindu article, WHO estimates that not more than 15% of births should be due to caesarean. However, in cities like Bangalore, I guess most of the births are by caesarean. This guess is of course is from what I have seen among my cousin's, friends, etc. The belief that caesarean is more safer is also wrong.

Although a lot of doctor's say that they are forced to use caesarean by mother herself since she does not want to experience pain for a long time, itz just a hogwash to cover-up an unethical practice. Discouting some cases where women want to have caesarean so as to "fix the destiny" of the child, the previous Hindu article mentions a few reasons for the increasing prevalence of caesarean.

• Doctors getting risk averse


• Doctors not eager tp spend the required amount of time with each patient


• Lack of trained doctrs and nurses for monitoring the labour progress

Finally, it all boils down to a lack of ethics among the medical fraternity. For their short term gains - monetary or otherwise, the doctors and nurses are inflicting long term harm on the mother. Not to talk of the atrociously high cost to the commom man.

While searching the web on this, I happened to see this heartening initiative in Delhi to bring into public awareness more safer and natural ways of delivery by involving mid-wives. Hope there are more such initiatives.

The more selfish a man, the more immoral he is.
-Swami Vivekananda