Mexico, the country with the most caesarean sections in the world

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the percentage of births by caesarean section should not exceed 15% of births, in many countries this figure is widely exceeded, as is the case in Mexico, the country with the most caesarean sections in the world, where 45.2% of children are born this way, according to the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey.

Of the total, 20.5% have been caesarean sections and 25.7% for emergencies. The most striking, and that leads Mexico to a dishonorable first place worldwide in C-sections is that in private hospitals the rate reaches almost 70% of births.

Even when indicated as a last resort, only when justified, caesarean section has become a common practice in many hospitals. They accuse that it has become a profitable business Regardless of the risks of unnecessary interventions for the mother and the baby.

Doctors who attend caesarean sections can attend more deliveries in less time. They can attend twice as many C-sections at the same time they attend a natural birth, thus multiplying income.

For the hospital, cesarean deliveries are also more profitable. An operating room should be used instead of a delivery room, more medical personnel are needed and the number of days of admission after delivery is increased.

Mexico is also the country with lowest breastfeeding rate in Latin America, a phenomenon that is also related to the alarming increase in obesity in children.

For things to change there should be a regulation that prohibits the abuse of caesarean sections, both in public and private hospitals, as well as raising women's awareness about the risks of this practice.

If they were able to reduce the rates of caesarean sections, in addition to benefiting mothers and babies, breastfeeding rates would improve and health would save a lot of money.

Video: Natural childbirth makes a comeback in Mexico (March 2024).