SRINAGAR: Caesarean section deliveries in Jammu and Kashmir have risen sharply, with 51 per cent of all births reported through C-section in 2023-24, up from 41.7 per cent in 2019-21, according to data cited by the Union Health Ministry in a Rajya Sabha reply.
The figures were provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in response to Unstarred Question No. 1893, answered by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on August 4.
According to the NFHS-6 data cited in the reply, the C-section rate in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 51 per cent, compared with 41.7 per cent in NFHS-5. The rate was considerably higher in private health facilities, where 90 per cent of births were delivered through Caesarean section, against 82.1 per cent in the previous survey. In government facilities, the C-section rate stood at 48.6 per cent, compared with 42.7 per cent in NFHS-5.
The issue was raised in Parliament amid concerns over the rising use of Caesarean deliveries. The Rajya Sabha question noted that the national C-section rate had increased from 21.5 per cent in NFHS-5 to 27.2 per cent in NFHS-6, with private facilities recording a substantially higher rate than public facilities.
Asked about measures to address possible over-medicalisation and ensure that surgical births are driven by medical necessity, the Health Ministry said several regulatory and monitoring measures had been undertaken under the National Health Mission.
These include requiring CGHS-empanelled hospitals to prominently display their Caesarean-to-normal delivery ratio, strengthening data reporting and monitoring, and incorporating a dedicated C-section audit component into the National Quality Assurance Standards assessment checklist for maternity operation theatres in government hospitals.
The Ministry also cited training programmes including Daksh, Dakshta, Skilled Birth Attendant and Nurse Practitioner Midwifery as part of measures aimed at improving maternal healthcare.
The NFHS-6 data further shows that 93.6 per cent of births in J&K were institutional deliveries, while 94.8 per cent were attended by skilled health personnel.
