Rate of C-sections in Egypt drops to 61% in 2023 down from 72% in 2021: Health Ministry

CAIRO – 26 March 2023: Egypt's cesarean section rate dropped to 61 percent in January and February of this year, down from a peak of 72 percent in 2021 that propelled the nation to the top of the world rankings in this category, Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.

This came in light of directives by Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar to reduce “unjustified” cesarean deliveries in Egypt, which rose by seven times from 10 percent in 2000, according to latest data by the official statistical agency CAPMAS.

Cesarian deliveries in private health facilities have amounted to 81 percent in 2021, according to the data.

The directives of the health minister regarding the reduction of unnecessary caesarean sections aim to reduce their severe negative results, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said.

Unnecessary C-sections expose the mother to several risks, including infection with Placenta Accreta, hysterectomy during childbirth, and massive obstetric hemorrhage, the spokesman said.

This is in addition to complications that children may suffer, including rise in intestinal bacteria, obesity, allergies, autism, diabetes, and immune diseases.

In June 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that caesarian sections outnumber vaginal deliveries in Egypt, besides Dominican Republic, Brazil, Cyprus, and Turkey.