Normal deliveries safer than cesarean: Doctors

Agra: Flagging concern over the "alarmingly high" rate of cesarean section operations in the country, doctors here today said normal deliveries were safer and in interest of women's health.

Doctors attending the 59th conference of obstetricians and gynaecologists in the Taj city stressed that normal deliveries were safer and in the interest of women's health.
According to a presentation made during the event, 40 per cent of deliveries done in India were cesarean, while the same in neighbouring Nepal was at 8.6 per cent and relatively lower
in other south Asian countries.

"What this reflected was the decreasing level of patience and pain-tolerating capacity in women," it said.

Dr Rasheed Latif from Pakistan said the percentage in rural areas was only five per cent, because of physical activity. "If in any country the rate was more than 15 percent, it was a signal for alarm," he said.

The participating doctors reached a consensus at the workshop to reduce C-section rate in developing countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and
India.

Doctors attending the conference also noted that by 2020 India and China would be the centres of cancer deaths.

"Changing lifestyles, stress, tobacco and liquor consumption are the chief causes of cancer which would take a very high toll of life in both the countries by 2020," said Dr GS Bhattacharya of the WHO's expert committee.

Prof Prakash Trivedi, chairman FOGSI, said more than 60 million cases were being reported in India of 'Urine Leak', affecting women from 38 to 85 years.

The five-day convention with the key theme this year - Women's health has been organised by Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians Association of India (FOGSI) at the Kalakriti ground and attracted over 6,000 doctors from all over India and a dozen countries, the organisers said.