K’taka Health Minister promises control on rising cesarean deliveries
Belagavi: The Karnataka government stated on Monday that the number of cesarean deliveries was rising in the state and announced that a new programme would be launched by next month to control this.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao made the announcement in the Legislative Council in Belagavi on Monday.
Health Minister Rao made this statement in response to a question by the Congress Legislative Council member Jagadev Guttedar during the session held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.
Health Minister Rao declared, “A new programme aimed at controlling cesarean deliveries will be implemented next month in Karnataka.”
The rate of cesarean deliveries in the state is increasing every year from 35 per cent in 2021-2022 to 38 per cent in 2022-2023. Currently, the cesarean delivery rate stands at 46 per cent in the state.
“In private hospitals, cesarean deliveries account for 61 per cent,” Minister Rao noted.
“Private hospitals prefer cesareans as they are more profitable and easier to perform. It is essential to curb this trend for the health of mothers and babies. Therefore, efforts will be made to mentally prepare women for normal deliveries, and a new programme will be launched in this regard,” Rao stated.
Health Minister Rao also informed the council that since 2023-24, eight cases related to female feticide have been registered in the state, resulting in the arrest of 46 individuals.
Increased inspections of scanning centres and hospitals have led to the detection of more female feticide cases.
Successful decoy operations have been conducted to take action against those involved in female feticide.
To prevent female feticide, the government has established all statutory committees under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act at the state and district levels.
Since 2018, the ‘Baalika’ online software system has been used for the mandatory registration and renewal of all scanning centres, Minister Rao stated.
The registration process for 100 per cent of pregnant women is ongoing at the state level, and technology is being used to monitor birth-gender ratio data at the village level, Rao said.
So far, 136 cases have been filed in court against scanning centres, owners, and doctors for violating the PC & PNDT Act. Of these, 74 cases have resulted in fines, while 65 cases are at various stages in the courts, Rao maintained.
“The Karnataka government has increased the reward for informants who provide inputs on scanning centres, hospitals, doctors, agents, or relatives involved in female feticide. The reward has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh,” Minister Rao underlined.
“To ensure effective implementation of the PC and PNDT Act, a state task force led by the Commissioner has been formed. Secret operations have been conducted in districts like Bengaluru Rural, Belagavi, Mandya, and Kolar,” Minister Rao stated.
“Public awareness programmes are being conducted across the state to prevent female feticide and raise awareness among the population,” Minister Rao stated.