The state of Karnataka is facing a public health challenge after data submitted to the legislative council revealed that nearly half of all deliveries in government hospitals are now conducted via Caesarean section (C-section). The high rate significantly surpasses international recommendations and raises concerns about maternal and child health outcomes.
C-Section Figures Highlight Excessive Surgical Births
In response to an unstarred question raised by MLC Ravish Babu, the Health and Family Welfare Department presented figures for the 2024–25 financial year:
| Delivery Type | Number of Deliveries |
| Total Deliveries | 8,57,124 |
| Normal Deliveries | 4,55,265 |
| Caesarean Surgeries | 4,01,859 |
The surgical rate calculated from these figures stands at 46.9%. This is significantly higher than the benchmark set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has long maintained that C-section rates exceeding 10% to 15% at a population level do not correlate with better maternal or neonatal outcomes.
Post-Delivery Care and New Initiatives
The government’s written reply, signed by Health Secretary Vinesh Gandadav, also outlined the mandated post-delivery care protocols and efforts to address the high rate:
- Hospital Stay: Women are provided a minimum of 3 days of care for natural delivery and a minimum of 7 days for C-section delivery.
- Support: Guidelines have been issued regarding the nutritious food to be provided to women post-delivery.
- Action: The government confirmed it has introduced measures aimed at encouraging normal deliveries within the state.
Limited Access to Painless Delivery Options
The department also provided clarification on the availability of epidural analgesia for pain relief during natural labor, confirming that the high C-section rate does not correspond with widespread availability of less invasive pain management options.
- Approval and Eligibility: The procedure of giving pain-relieving Epidural injection for natural delivery is technically approved in obstetrics and anaesthesiology and is provided according to “demand, eligibility and the opinion of anaesthesia experts.”
- Extreme Restriction: However, the option remains limited to select centers. At present, the service is only provided in Vani Vilas Hospital among Karnataka’s state government hospitals, having previously also been available at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubballi, and the Medical Sciences Institute, Ballari.
- Conditions: The use of epidural is strictly governed by conditions including the mother’s consent, availability of trained anaesthesia staff, and readiness to treat complications, alongside the use of other methods like TENS, hydrotherapy, and aromatherapy.
Crucially, the government ruled out any immediate expansion, stating: “There is no proposal to formulate a separate policy for providing Epidural injection for pain relief in natural deliveries.”