Cesarean Births: The Indian Scenario

Chayan Roy Choudhury, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Higher cesarean section (CS) rate (more than 15 percent, WHO) is presently a concern for most of the developed and developing countries. This study attempts to understand the levels and the determinants of cesarean section across India, with respect to the public and private health care facilities using DLHS (RCH) – II dataset (1999-2004). Though CS rate for India is 7.8 per 100 live births, this rate goes above the 15% (WHO) limit for institutional births. North-South dichotomy among the Indian states in CS rate is significant with south being on the higher side of the scale. The situation turns grimmer with 18 states and the private institutions breaching the limit. Some Central Indian states are well below the 5% minimum limit (WHO), indicating poor availability and utilization of obstetric health services. Educational and economic statuses are the two most important determinants of CS rate after controlling the complication factors.