PESHAWAR: Despite clear recommendations from World Health Organisation, Pakistan’s caesarean section rate has surged to 50-70 per cent in several hospitals, far above the global benchmark of 15 per cent, claimed Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) president-elect Dr Sher Shah Syed here on Tuesday.

During a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Dr Syed expressed concern over the alarming rise in unnecessary caesarean sections across the country and warned that the trend constituted a serious violation of women’s basic rights and was contributing to preventable maternal deaths.

He said that Pakistan recorded nearly 20,000 maternal deaths every year, many of which were linked to complications arising from unnecessary surgical deliveries.

The PMA president criticised both public and private hospitals, especially tertiary care facilities, for performing “large numbers of caesarean sections without valid medical justification.”

Says trend a serious violation of women’s basic rights

He said the practice deprived women of their right to normal delivery and exposed mothers and newborns to serious health risks, including infections, excessive bleeding, poor wound healing and complications in future pregnancies.

Dr Syed said the procedure had become a profit-driven practice in many private hospitals, where higher fees often led to unwarranted surgical deliveries.

He urged doctors to base their decisions strictly on medical need and refrain from performing operations for convenience or financial gain.

The PMA president called on the government to take practical steps to check the rising number of medically unnecessary caesarean sections and to regulate institutions involved in such practices.

He said global evidence showed that normal delivery was safer for both mother and child.

“Babies born through natural birth have lower risks of infection and breathe more effectively, while mothers recover more quickly and experience fewer complications in subsequent pregnancies.

Early mother-child bonding is also strengthened,” he said.

Dr Syed urged people to understand the importance of normal childbirth and said families shouldn’t insist on caesarean delivery unless medically required.

He recommended that hospitals review their policies on caesarean sections and introduce clear protocols to promote normal delivery.

The PMA president called for training doctors, nurses and members of other healthcare staff in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines to reduce the escalating rate of surgical births.

He said a seminar on the dangers of rising caesarean rates was being held at the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar to highlight the scale of the issue and the need for urgent action.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2025