Cairo - Official efforts have been launched to launch an expanded campaign to urge natural childbirth instead of caesarean section in Egypt, amid proposals to quickly enact a medical responsibility law, return training for doctors and nurses on natural childbirth, and activate the midwifery system and the maternity and childhood home in the Ministry of Health.
According to official statistics , the rate of caesarean sections in Egypt reached about 72%, which prompted the start of an expanded official campaign to urge natural childbirth and doctors not to resort to caesarean sections except when medically necessary.
Health Ministry spokesman Hussam Abdel Ghaffar said that the increase in caesarean section rates is "not medically justified," noting that the global rate of caesarean section ranges between 20 and 25%.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health commented that "Caesarean section directly affects the health of the mother and child, and we have very large numbers of children who enter nurseries because of this type of birth, which contributes to the high rates of autism and postpartum hemorrhage."
For his part, the Egyptian Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar directed to equalize the fees of doctors in natural births with that of caesarean sections, in addition to allocating a financial incentive to medical teams that achieve higher rates and rates for natural births, according to what was published by a local newspaper.
According to unofficial data, the prices for caesarean section in government hospitals start from 3000 pounds, while in private clinics it reaches about 7000 pounds as a minimum, while prices in private hospitals start from 13,000 pounds.
What is a cesarean delivery?
Caesarean section is a surgical procedure in which the newborn baby is removed by making an incision in the mother's abdomen and uterus, a procedure aimed at delivering the baby while preserving the mother's life.
Cases requiring caesarean section
The failure to give birth naturally, as the uterine contractions may not be enough to dilate the cervix to enable the baby to exit.
Having problems with the placenta.
The size of the child has grown.
The mother has some medical conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Having concerns about the child's health.
The presence of twins, so the possibility of a caesarean section increases with the number of children.
trying natural childbirth
Returning to the high rates of caesarean section in Egypt, Dr. Mustafa Gawish, former undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Population and one of the former supervisors of the "family planning" project, said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that "there is a difference in the beginning between natural birth and attempting natural birth; That the midwife (midwife) performs it at home, and it can take place in hospitals or private clinics, and it is at its normal time.
As for the natural birth attempt, it is the one that the doctor makes after the mother arrives to him without follow-up from him or supervision of the stages of pregnancy, and therefore he is trying to give birth naturally. Most doctors are afraid to do the latter, so they go to caesarean section directly for fear of health complications of diseases that the mother did not have time to talk about.
Gawish attributes the high rates of caesarean sections to “(business) caesarean sections that citizens accuse some doctors of, and it is true at times, but the percentages of caesarean sections in government hospitals reached 46% in the last statistic, which - according to his opinion - reveals the lack of Training doctors in natural childbirth, and the shortage of midwives (only 3,000 nationwide), in addition to the attempts of natural delivery taking 12 to 20 hours amid risks and pain, while the caesarean section takes only an hour, which tempts the doctor to resort to it to complete the operation in the safety of him and the mother. ".
Caesarean section factors
It is known that a caesarean section may turn into a necessary procedure in certain cases to save the life of the child and the mother. Gawish points out that the increase in the rates of cesarean births may sometimes be due to several medical factors in the mother, including anemia, pressure, diabetes and the presence of pelvic abnormalities that prevent the child from leaving.
The former director of the family planning project in Egypt sees the necessity of activating the role of the Maternity and Childhood Home at the Ministry of Health, so that the mother begins to follow up from the first day, in light of the high prices of private clinics that push her to wait for the last day, and from here the problem begins and the resort to caesarean section.
The former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Population points out the importance of passing the Medical Liability Law that has been in Parliament since the 1990s without passing, which links it to the doctor’s restoration of self-confidence and the lack of fear of performing normal operations, because the medical responsibility law approved by doctors grants a specialized medical body a trial. A doctor is not "tried among criminals" if he commits an unintentional medical error, gross medical negligence, or internationally recognized medical complications.
Gawish believes that the immediate solutions lie in the speedy issuance of the medical responsibility law, the return of training of doctors and nurses on natural childbirth, the activation of the midwives system, and the activation of the Maternity and Childhood Home in the Ministry of Health, with health directorates officials in the governorates passing through private clinics for inspection, as well as the treatment of health problems for children today. In anemia, obesity and dwarfism for future mothers, and addressing the shortage of nurseries, which are not commensurate with the increase in caesarean sections that often produce children who need nurseries.
Natural childbirth support
The Health Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives and the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population are adopting a campaign to support natural childbirth, in conjunction with the graduation of the first batch of female trainers on the “natural childbirth” program in the North Sinai border governorate.
A member of the Parliament's Health Committee, Dr. Abla Al-Alfi, announced - in press statements - the activation of the natural birth initiative during the coming period through awareness programs and campaigns in all governorates.
Al-Alfi confirmed that many medical studies revealed that the damage suffered by the mother and the newborn after a caesarean section is numerous, in addition to that this birth has become a good “business” for some doctors, especially in light of the pregnant woman's refusal to make some effort to do a natural birth.
For his part, lawyer Mohamed Mahmoud explains to Al Jazeera Net an important dimension in the legal issue; “If it was medically confirmed that the mother could have been born naturally, but the doctor performed a caesarean section without the need, it is necessary to write a report, because the doctor committed a serious professional mistake, which is the intentional wounding of the mother’s body, although the condition of (the victim) does not require that, as medicine will be separated The legal opinion in the matter after the Public Prosecution moved the report.”
Mahmoud explains that in recent times, through his work and his social environment, he encountered a large number of these operations without need, but the parents are reluctant to take the decision to pursue the doctor so as not to spoil the joy of the newborn for their families, which - according to Mahmoud - leads to the aggravation of the phenomenon.
Mahmoud concludes by saying that if it is confirmed by forensic medicine that there is no need for surgery, "this is considered a serious medical negligence, which requires two punishments: disciplinary by the union and up to write-off, and the imposition of a criminal penalty through the trial."
Tags:
HEALTH UPDATE