Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 16
Cesarean or C-section deliveries are increasing in Nagaland at an alarming rate, particularly in private health facilities, highlighted recent data by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As per the ‘HMIS (Health Management Information System) 2020-21 & 2021-22: An Analytical Report’ released by Union Health Secretary on January 12, the percentage of c-sections conducted at private facilities in Nagaland was 42.83% in 2021-22.
This was an increase from 38.08% in 2020-21. Accordingly, it was above the all-India average of 37.95% with regard to deliveries at private health facilities.
Likewise, C-section deliveries at public hospitals in the State increased from 8.64 in 2020-21 to 11% in 2021-22, the report said. However, it was lower than the national average of 15.48% in 2021-22.
Overall, percentage of C-section institutional deliveries in Nagaland increased from 19.23% in 2020-21 to 21.15% in 2021-22. The national averages for the corresponding periods respectively were 21.3% and 23.29%.
The latest data is a significant increase from the results reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Births delivered by C-section stood at just 5.2% as per the NFHS-5 (2019-20). The data reflected births in the 5 years before the survey.
Significantly, C-section deliveries reflected in the NFHS-5 was a decrease from 5.8 in NFHS-4 (2015-16). Institutional births on Nagaland as per NFHS-5 stood at 45.7% out of which 35.8% occurred in public facilities.
The latest HMIS data informed that ‘Institutional deliveries to Total Reported Deliveries’ had increased to 78.39% in 2021-22.
However, the new data indicated that the increase in institutional deliveries is also resulting in considerable increase in C-section and such procedures have surged nearly four-fold in Nagaland by 2021-22.
The All-India average of ‘Institutional deliveries to Total Reported Deliveries’ stood at 95.51% in 2021-22, implying that though the rate of C-section nationally is marginally higher than Nagaland, in terms of actual ratio, the latter is much higher as total institutional deliveries in the State during the same period was 78.39%.
