Telangana records highest C-section rate in India; nearly 6 in 10 babies delivered through surgery

Even as Telangana outperforms the national average on several maternal healthcare indicators and has nearly achieved universal institutional deliveries, nearly six out of every 10 births in the State are now being delivered through Caesarean section, the highest rate recorded in the country. These are the findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The survey found that 98.8% of births in Telangana take place in health institutions, much higher than the national average of 90.6%. At the same time, 62.2% of births in the State are delivered through Caesarean section, more than double the national average of 27.2%.

The NFHS-6 findings show that Telangana’s Caesarean section rate has increased from 60.7% recorded during NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 62.2% in the latest survey. No other State or Union Territory in the NFHS-6 fact sheets recorded a higher proportion of Caesarean deliveries.

Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh recorded the second-highest Caesarean section rate in the country at 52.2%, while Nagaland reported one of the lowest rates at 13.2%.

According to the survey, 83.9% of births in private health facilities in Telangana were delivered through Caesarean section. The national average for private hospitals stood at 54.1%. Government facilities in Telangana also reported a C-section rate of 48.1%, nearly three times the national average of 16.9% for public hospitals.

Maternal healthcare indicators in Telangana continue to remain stronger than national averages. According to the survey, 89.6% of mothers in Telangana registered for antenatal care (ANC) during the first trimester of pregnancy compared with 76.2% nationally. Nearly all mothers in the State, 99.2%, received antenatal care during pregnancy, while 80.3% had at least four antenatal care visits. Nationally, 95.9% of mothers received antenatal care and only 65.2% completed four antenatal visits.

Telangana also reported better coverage of iron and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. While 81% of mothers in Telangana consumed iron and folic acid tablets for at least 100 days, the national average stood at 54.9%. Similarly, 55.7% of mothers in Telangana consumed the supplements for at least 180 days compared with 37.8% nationally.

The State has also recorded improvements in several child health indicators. Postnatal care within two days of birth was received by 92.3% of mothers and 93% of newborns. Childhood illness indicators showed improvement, with diarrhoea prevalence among children under five years of age falling to 4.5% and symptoms of acute respiratory infection declining to 0.4%.

Nutrition indicators among children have also improved. Stunting among children under five years declined from 33.1% in NFHS-5 to 27% while wasting was reduced from 21.7% to 16.9%. Underweight prevalence fell from 31.8% to 27.8%.