No c-section deliveries after 4pm in this NDMC hospital
NEWDELHI: A government hospital in New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony can conduct c-section and complicated deliveries only between 8am and 4pm every day.
The Palika Maternity Hospital, run by New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), doesn’t have staff to conduct emergency surgeries in two shifts.
“We have 10 doctors for 14 posts. Only 50% of the vacancies for junior doctors, nursing and technical staff are filled. With only half of sanctioned staff available, it is impossible for us to run the operation theatre in shifts,” said a senior official of NDMC, who did not want to be named.
The hospital is a 65-bed mother and child care hospital, equipped for deliveries (natural and c-section), neonatal ICU (intensive care units) for sick newborns and a running immunisation clinic.
The hospital delivers 100 babies every month, of which nearly 25% are c-section . All natural deliveries are done 24x7 at the hospital. “But, if there is an emergency after 4pm, we refer the women to Safdarjung hospital. On an average, there is one such case every day,” said a doctor, on condition of anonymity.
Doctors blame the high c-section rate on the need to conduct pre-emptive surgeries for complicated pregnancies. “The high rate of c-section surgeries is because we have to pre-empt risky cases, because after hours, mothers at risk have to be taken to Safdar- jung for emergency surgery,” the doctor added. The Palika Maternity Hospital has a tie-up with Safdarjung under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Yojana. “There is a nodal officer at the hospital who coordinates transfers,” said the official.
With an average of 100 deliveries each day, Safdarjung Hospital has a one of the busiest maternity department in India.
The National Family Health Survey-4 said the c-section rate in India in 2015-16 was 17.2%.
According to World Health Organisation, c-sections are effective in saving maternal and infant lives, but only when required for medical reasons. At population level, c-section rates higher than 10% do not lower mother and newborn deaths.