Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother’s abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mother at risk.

A recent statistics by the district health departments in Acholi sub Region  indicates that Of the 17,219 deliveries conducted across the 337 health facilities in the region, 5,727 (14%) of the deliveries were through caesareans.

The births were registered within a period of 365 days that’s between July 2022-july, 2023.

Of the 5,727 caesarean deliveries private facilities contributed to 3,237 with St Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu City recording 2,219 while public health facilities contributed 2,490 with Gulu Regional Referral Hospital contributing 1,104 C-section delivery.

However , according to Dr  Kenneth Cana, the Acting Gulu District Health Officer, the high rate of the cesarean deliveries are because of  the high rate of teenage pregnancies being recorded in the area because of the patient can’t push leaving them with no option than C-section, pregnancy related complications like hypertension ,shock and hemorrhage among others .

Cana further stressed  that the other factors include  increasing demand by the current generation of  women to be delivered through C-section and greed  for money by  private  facilities to get money through C-section..

He however, warned that persistent delivery through caesarean weakens women and in most cases they are advised to produce not more than four children to avoid death.

Dr Emineton Odong, the Medical Director St Mary’s Hospital Lacor, has however, denied the allegations that private facilities are using C-sections to make money.

According to Odong, C-section is a lifesaving procedure that is done following an indication of danger to both mother and baby arguing that it is unethical for health workers to conduct C-section because of earning the hospital huge amounts of money.

He appealed to other private facilities to stop the practice because it is unethical and persistent caesarean deliveries are dangerous.

According to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO), caesarean section use continues to rise globally, now accounting for more than 1 in 5 (21%) of all childbirths.