According to the report released by the health ministry, 72 percent births at Nakasero Hospital and 51% at Nsambya are by C-section. The health ministry says there is need to investigate the high C-section rates in private hospitals which is about 4 times above the 10 - 15% that WHO considers acceptable
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St Francis Hospital Nsambya
More than half of mothers who deliver
their children in some private hospitals do so by undergoing a Cesarean
Section, according to Annual Health Sector Performance Review released by the
health ministry today.
According to the report, 51 percent of all expectant
mothers at St Francis Hospital Nsambya deliver by C-section while last year at Nakaseero Hospital a dizzying 72% delivered by C-section rate.
Figures released by the health ministry of today during
the Health Sector Joint Review show that Mengo Hospital and Lubaga
hospital also recorded high C-section rates at 47 and 41 percent
respectively.
Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health
services at the ministry of health says that C-sections are very common in
private hospitals.
“We see that the highest C-section rate in in
private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals in the country," he says. "In
government-funded hospitals, the rate has reduced from 35 percent in the last financial
year to 34 percent this year. It is going down.”
A national decrease of 7 percent was recorded in the
number of C-sections that were carried out in the country from 49,369 in the
year 2018/2019 to 45,806. However other hospitals like Mubende hospital, Hoima
hospital, Fort Portal hospital and the Mulago Specialized Women’s and Neonatal
Hospital all recorded at least a two percent increases in the number of
C-sections carried out.
Gulu hospital recorded the lowest C-section rate at
12 percent. The hospital recorded a 2 percent decrease from 14 percent in the
2019/2020 financial year.
Dr Joyce Kaducu, the minister of primary health care
says the high rate of C-sections being carried out in private hospitals needs
to be investigated.
"The percentage of C-sections is quite high and we
need to find out why," she said. "It might not be the intention of private hospitals,
there’s a possibility that many health center IVs and general hospitals are
sending these patients to them. We need to find out where these referrals are
coming from and what might be leading to these figures."
Dennis Bwanika, the public relations officer at
Mengo hospital says that they do not have a comment on the ranking as of yet.
“We shall have to look at maternal audits but for
now we do not have any comment,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation, the ideal
cesarean rate at any hospital should be between 10-15 percent.
The UN health
agency recommends that C-sections be performed when natural delivery poses a
threat to the mother or baby. For instance in situations of prolonged labour
where both mother and baby become tired, when the fetus is in distress or when
the baby is in an abnormal position.
C-sections have become a popular elective for
expectant mothers in the country with some women carrying out as many as two
procedures. Doctors warn they pose a danger to the health a mother or child as
they can lead to death since they require surgery.
They can also lead to a
fever and increased virginal bleeding for the new mother after birth. Mothers
can also lose control of their bladder as a result. They can also lead to heart
attacks or preterm birth in the next pregnancy.
