Staff Reporter :
Health experts and women’s rights activists have expressed serious concern over the boom in unnecessary Caesarean section, commonly known as C-sections, as it puts mothers and babies at needless risks.
They shared the concern at a workshop and discussion titled ‘Know Your Birth Right’- a birth plan design, held at EMK Centre in Dhaka on Tuesday as part of their “Stop Unnecessary C-section” campaign.
Bangladesh is facing a massive boom in the number of medically unnecessary C-sections – between 2016 and 2018 the number of operations increased by 51 per cent, new figures released by Save the Children reveal.
The country saw an estimated 860,000 of these unnecessary operations last year, while up to 300,000 women who need a C-section are unable to afford or access it.
Over 1 million C-section occurs in Bangladesh out of which 750,000 are at private facilities. Even with this rising facility delivery, Bangladesh’s maternal mortality hasn’t declined in the last 6 years (BMMS, 2016) leading to unnecessary C-sections.
The C-section rate has surged to 31 percent from 21 percent in Bangladesh causing unbearably high out of pocket expenses. Having an unnecessary C-section puts mothers and babies at needless risks, increasing the likelihood of infections. Natural births, on the other hand, enable mothers and babies to have physical contact sooner with breastfeeding beginning earlier.
The Know Your Birth Right workshop was held to raise awareness on these pressing maternal health concerns, while bringing together specialists in the field to have a guided discussion on the role of society in promoting normal delivery.
The session was moderated by Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Founder and Executive Director of HerStory Foundation, implementing partner of the event.
The paneled discussion began with an opening session with panellists Dr Selina Amin, from JPGSPH, BRAC University who emphasized on midwifery led care, as the way forward in reducing unnecessary C-sections in Bangladesh. Dr. Mariha Chowdhury, Obstetrics & Gynecology at Praava Health, Nissim Jan Sajid, Lead from Psychological Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC), Dr. med. Beatrice Ambauen-Berger, Gynecologist at LAMB Hospital, Dinajpur and Farin Doula, Co-founder at Yellow Brick Road were other panellists at the event.
The panellists stressed on the importance of raising awareness on the impact C-section that has on the society and the instrumental role the society plays in this regard. Discussions on C-section being a lifesaving intervention and the unnecessary use of it should be discarded. There still remains a large information gap on issues of normal delivery and C-section in Bangladesh, especially among the educated urban society. Dr. Mariha Chowdhury explained the costs associated with C-sections, while Nissim Jan Sajid shared her views on sound mental health practices before and during giving birth.
The Stop Unnecessary C-section campaign is working to turn the tide to improve access to quality healthcare in Bangladesh while reducing the number of unnecessary C-sections. They have turned to public campaigning, teaming up with like-minded organizations, working with a number of stakeholders including doctors, researchers, rights activists, representatives of donor agencies and media. The campaign is a collaborative platform to raise voice, build awareness and influence policy advocacy on this issue.
Health experts and women’s rights activists have expressed serious concern over the boom in unnecessary Caesarean section, commonly known as C-sections, as it puts mothers and babies at needless risks.
They shared the concern at a workshop and discussion titled ‘Know Your Birth Right’- a birth plan design, held at EMK Centre in Dhaka on Tuesday as part of their “Stop Unnecessary C-section” campaign.
Bangladesh is facing a massive boom in the number of medically unnecessary C-sections – between 2016 and 2018 the number of operations increased by 51 per cent, new figures released by Save the Children reveal.
The country saw an estimated 860,000 of these unnecessary operations last year, while up to 300,000 women who need a C-section are unable to afford or access it.
Over 1 million C-section occurs in Bangladesh out of which 750,000 are at private facilities. Even with this rising facility delivery, Bangladesh’s maternal mortality hasn’t declined in the last 6 years (BMMS, 2016) leading to unnecessary C-sections.
The C-section rate has surged to 31 percent from 21 percent in Bangladesh causing unbearably high out of pocket expenses. Having an unnecessary C-section puts mothers and babies at needless risks, increasing the likelihood of infections. Natural births, on the other hand, enable mothers and babies to have physical contact sooner with breastfeeding beginning earlier.
The Know Your Birth Right workshop was held to raise awareness on these pressing maternal health concerns, while bringing together specialists in the field to have a guided discussion on the role of society in promoting normal delivery.
The session was moderated by Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Founder and Executive Director of HerStory Foundation, implementing partner of the event.
The paneled discussion began with an opening session with panellists Dr Selina Amin, from JPGSPH, BRAC University who emphasized on midwifery led care, as the way forward in reducing unnecessary C-sections in Bangladesh. Dr. Mariha Chowdhury, Obstetrics & Gynecology at Praava Health, Nissim Jan Sajid, Lead from Psychological Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC), Dr. med. Beatrice Ambauen-Berger, Gynecologist at LAMB Hospital, Dinajpur and Farin Doula, Co-founder at Yellow Brick Road were other panellists at the event.
The panellists stressed on the importance of raising awareness on the impact C-section that has on the society and the instrumental role the society plays in this regard. Discussions on C-section being a lifesaving intervention and the unnecessary use of it should be discarded. There still remains a large information gap on issues of normal delivery and C-section in Bangladesh, especially among the educated urban society. Dr. Mariha Chowdhury explained the costs associated with C-sections, while Nissim Jan Sajid shared her views on sound mental health practices before and during giving birth.
The Stop Unnecessary C-section campaign is working to turn the tide to improve access to quality healthcare in Bangladesh while reducing the number of unnecessary C-sections. They have turned to public campaigning, teaming up with like-minded organizations, working with a number of stakeholders including doctors, researchers, rights activists, representatives of donor agencies and media. The campaign is a collaborative platform to raise voice, build awareness and influence policy advocacy on this issue.
