C-section deliveries incur huge cost in childbirth: Study

Caesarian deliveries incur huge cost in childbirth in Bangladesh, says a recent icddr,b study, revealing that C-section deliveries took an average US$ 250 out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure as a normal delivery burden on the pocket is only around US$ 60.

The study posted on icddr,b website indicates that the cases of such lopsided OOP cost for C-section deliveries may be rising because C section rate has gone as high as 31 percent in Bangladesh in recent years.

This rate is well over the WHO standards whis is 10 to 15 per cent and icddr,b researchers have earlier urged to implement effective national monitoring on C-section deliveries.

The data was found as over 4,500 delivery cases were analysed, based on Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2014 data coupled with a cross-sectional survey on child delivery-related expenditure.

In order to minimise child delivery-associated cost, the study suggests introducing social health insurance in line with the core objective of the Healthcare Financing Strategy of Bangladesh.

Icddr,b researchers have highlighted that disadvantaged groups spend relatively more OOP and are in greater need of health insurance.

“No surprise that the wealthiest people spend around US$ 280 on C-section, but the poorest people spend no less than US$ 200 too which is a huge burden on their pocket,” said physician Abdur Razzaque Sarkar, icddr,b associate scientist and principal author of the study.

“We have also found that mothers aged between 35 and 49 were spending significantly more and interestingly, moms with higher education and who received recommended antenatal services were also among those spending more on C-section, more frequently in urban Bangladesh,” he said.

Sarkar said over 85 per cent families heavily rely on their family fund (including income and savings) to cope with this extra burden, which has a huge impacts on the livelihood of these households.