A whopping 53.6 percent of the deliveries in Shanghai last year were through caesarean section, much higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended 15 percent. A WHO report says the caesarean section rate in China has reached 46.2 percent, and is as high as 70 percent in some cities. This is a dangerous sign, says an article in Shanghai Business. Excerpts:

It is common knowledge that normal delivery, in which a fetus' head appears first, is better than cesarean section.

The number of caesarean sections is increasing because of four factors: women's desperation to avoid labor pain, advancing age of first-time mothers, wrong notion among some women that normal delivery would affect their love life, and doctors encouraging women to opt for caesarean section because it more expensive and they can make earn more money.

Women in labor have the right to choose the method of delivery. Therefore, doctors should give lay all the pros and cons of deciding on the delivery method, instead of encouraging them to choose one over the other to make an extra buck.

Some experts suggest the government intervene to prevent the increase in the number of cesarean sections. They say the government should publicize the advantages of normal delivery, which is acceptable.

But they are wrong to say that the government should grant subsidies to women who opt for normal delivery, because that could pose a risk to mother and child both.

So while government health departments and maternity and child-care centers initiate scientific publicity, hospitals should fulfill their part of the responsibility by ensuring that doctors recommend the delivery method to women according to their actual medical need and without an eye to make extra money.

(China Daily 05/11/2011 page9)