Pakistan is witnessing a sharp and troubling rise in caesarean sections, according to Pakistan Medical Association president-elect Dr Sher Shah Syed.
Speaking at a news conference, he said caesarean rates in several hospitals had risen to 50–70 percent, well above WHO’s recommended 15 percent.
Dr Syed warned that unnecessary surgical deliveries were a violation of women’s basic rights and were contributing to preventable maternal deaths.
He said Pakistan records nearly 20,000 maternal deaths every year, many linked to complications arising from caesarean procedures performed without medical need.
He criticised both public and private hospitals, including tertiary care facilities, for conducting large numbers of caesarean sections without valid justification.
He said these practices deny women normal delivery and put mothers and newborns at risk of infection, bleeding, poor healing, and future complications.
Read More: Pakistan Court Upholds Ban on Gutka Products
Dr Syed added that in many private hospitals, caesarean sections had become profit-driven, with higher fees leading to unwarranted surgical deliveries.
He urged doctors to make clinical decisions based solely on medical necessity and to avoid operations carried out for convenience or financial incentives.
He called on the government to regulate institutions involved in medically unnecessary caesarean sections and to introduce measures to reduce their rising number.
He said hospitals should review their policies, adopt clear protocols promoting normal delivery and train healthcare staff in line with WHO guidelines.
Dr Syed highlighted that natural childbirth is safer for mother and child and mentioned a seminar addressing rising caesarean rates.
