Shillong: The Meghalaya government will conduct a study into the factors behind the increasing reliance on Caesarean section deliveries in the state, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla told the Assembly.
The issue came up during a nearly 50-minute discussion on institutional deliveries after Leader of Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma called for a comprehensive study into why normal deliveries were becoming less common.
Dr Mukul said that while promoting institutional deliveries remained important, the increasing number of women undergoing C-sections needed to be examined from a medical and scientific perspective.
“Most of the mothers are required to undergo… there are instances where the normal deliveries are becoming less,” he said, adding that Caesarean sections were occurring “with more frequency than ever before”.
Shylla said Meghalaya’s C-section rate was below the national average but acknowledged the need to examine the trend. He said government hospitals would not perform C-sections unless medical complications warranted the procedure.
The minister suggested that changes in women’s health and physical condition could contribute to complications, particularly during third or fourth pregnancies. He also pointed to the state’s fertility rate as a possible factor.
Dr Mukul, however, said Meghalaya should not be satisfied with comparing its C-section rate with that of other states and should independently examine the reasons behind the trend.
“There is a need to have a comprehensive study of this aspect,” he said, urging the government to identify the medical factors that lead women to be classified as high-risk and subsequently require Caesarean deliveries.
Shylla assured the House that the Health Department was already examining the issue and would conduct a “proper study” of the factors contributing to the increase.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, meanwhile, highlighted the state’s use of digital systems to monitor maternal health and institutional deliveries. He said the ASHA-First online system provides real-time information on pregnant women, including high-risk cases and institutional deliveries, while also tracking payments and claims involving ASHA workers.
According to the Chief Minister, institutional deliveries accounted for 80.49 per cent of all deliveries in Meghalaya in August.
The Assembly discussion brought renewed attention to the need to promote institutional deliveries while also examining the medical and maternal health factors contributing to Caesarean procedures, particularly among women classified as high-risk.
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