Unnecessary surgeries are replacing natural childbirth, risking long-term health, emotional well-being, and women’s rights. Urgent reforms are needed to safeguard maternal care
In recent years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a dramatic shift in childbirth practices. The traditional, natural process of giving birth through normal delivery is slowly being replaced by Caesarean sections (C-sections), even in cases where medical necessity is questionable. A growing body of evidence suggests that this alarming trend could have long-term implications for maternal and child health in the region.
According to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), nearly 65% of institutional births in private facilities in J&K are now conducted through C-section, a figure that is far above the World Health Organization’s recommended rate of 10–15%. Even government hospitals, traditionally seen as conservative in clinical decisions, are not far behind, with C-section rates steadily climbing year after year. The situation becomes even more concerning when juxtaposed against the backdrop of declining normal (vaginal) deliveries across both rural and urban Kashmir.
Recent figures emerging from government and private hospitals across districts like Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, and Jammu are cause for grave concern. In some hospitals, nearly 7 out of 10 births are now conducted through cesarean section, a percentage five to six times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended rate of 10–15%. The numbers are not just statistical anomalies; they point to a disturbing medical and societal pattern.
While advancements in surgical care have undoubtedly saved countless lives, the current rise in cesarean births appears less about medical necessity and more about institutional convenience, private profit, and public misinformation.
Shazia, a 29-year-old mother from Pulwama, recounts her experience in a district hospital with a sense of quiet betrayal. “Everything was fine with my reports. I was healthy, and the baby was healthy. But on the delivery day, the doctor said, ‘We will do a C-section, it’s safer.’ I wasn’t given a choice,” she says, eyes cast down.
Her story mirrors those of countless women across the Valley and the Jammu region. Women with uncomplicated pregnancies are increasingly being funnelled towards the operation theatre without being properly informed or even given the opportunity to attempt natural labour.
The consequences of this trend are not only medical but deeply human. Unnecessary cesarean sections are linked to a higher risk of postpartum infection, increased blood loss, delayed breastfeeding, and longer hospital stays. Babies born through C-section may face breathing difficulties and altered gut microbiota. Moreover, for mothers planning future pregnancies, repeated cesarean births raise the risk of uterine rupture, placenta previa, and infertility.
On the financial front, cesarean deliveries are significantly more expensive than normal births, especially in private hospitals. The surgical procedures, extended hospital stays, and recovery needs often double or triple the cost compared to vaginal deliveries. For many families in Jammu and Kashmir, where economic challenges persist, these costs can be burdensome and lead to debt or long-term financial strain.
Emotionally, many women feel robbed of an experience they prepared for. Some report feelings of inadequacy, depression, and trauma from rushed surgeries and cold operating rooms. In a region where maternal health support is already limited, these silent psychological scars remain unacknowledged and untreated.
Public health experts are raising red flags, warning that the cesarean epidemic could strain health systems, increase costs, and endanger maternal and neonatal health in the long term. “What we are seeing is the medicalisation of a natural process,” says a retired gynaecologist from GMC Srinagar. “We are creating a generation of mothers who will believe that childbirth is something to be done on a table with a scalpel, not something their body is capable of handling.”
She adds, “The irony is that our mothers and grandmothers gave birth without ultrasounds or modern medicines, yet today, despite all our advancements, we are relying more on surgery than nature.”
The situation calls for urgent and multi-pronged intervention: All hospitals must be made accountable for their delivery statistics. Every surgical birth must be justified, documented, and reviewed by an independent panel, Awareness campaigns about the benefits and safety of normal delivery must be initiated at the grassroots level, especially among expecting mothers in rural areas, District and sub-district hospitals must be equipped with trained staff, birthing centers, and pain management options to support natural deliveries, Strict regulation is needed to monitor unethical medical practices and financial exploitation in private healthcare and Perhaps most importantly, women must be at the center of this conversation. Informed consent, proper counselling, and respectful maternal care should be non-negotiable rights.
Jammu and Kashmir, with its rich cultural traditions and strong family structures, must not let modernity become a mask for medical malpractice. Childbirth, the most natural act of human continuity, is being quietly altered in the name of convenience and commerce. And the voices of mothers stitched, silenced, and sidelined must now be heard.
It’s time we ask the right questions. When did surgery become the standard? Who benefits from this trend? And what is the cost not in money, but in the health, dignity, and agency of women? The future of maternal care in J&K depends on how soon we start listening to these silent concerns. Let us not turn childbirth into a business or a scheduled event. Let women of Jammu and Kashmir be given the right to experience safe, natural, and respectful childbirth. A healthy future begins with an informed and empowered beginning.
The writer is a library professional currently posted at the Government SAM Degree College, Budgam
Aadil Jahangir
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