A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic | Undercover Asia

A C-section is the surgical method of delivering a baby, meant to be used in complicated pregnancies. It’s a lifesaving procedure, but in India, millions of mothers are going under the knife unnecessarily. The Cesarean section rate in India’s private hospitals is a whopping 47.4%, far greater than the 15% threshold recommended by the WHO.

As private hospitals of all kinds mushroom across the country, C-sections have become a money-making racket. An increasing number of doctors have little patience for normal deliveries and are in a hurry to wield the scalpel. Hapless mothers in their hands are forced to undergo surgeries which comes with risks for both mother and baby.

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[sumitpandit]

Excellent initiative.. When I told my doctor Vinita Kaul (Fortis, Anandapur, Kolkata) that we don't want to have unnecessary caesarean, her reply was astonishing. She told that "No doctor will be available for 24 hr at hospital. If you opt for Bhagirathi Neotia, then it will be convenient for me for normal delivery." This Bhagirathi Neotia charges around 1.5 to 2 lakh for child birth whether natural or caesarean. I stopped consulting that arrogant money minded doctor from then and switched to Sishu Mangal Hospital, Kolkata. This hospital is run by Ramkrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, a NGO and it has a record of most normal child birth in Kolkata.

[angiecats]

As someone who had to undergo an emergency c-section, watching this is leading me to believe that this is purely an issue because of the incompetence of the doctors and not the procedure itself.

[rhutukrishna]

My sister is a gynaecologist.. M.S. OBG from top Indian govt medical college.. she brought down c Section rates wherever she worked.. But patients don't want to bear the pain.. they request for c section.. And don't listen to doctor.. patients also have fear psychosis .. my sister has done just around 500 cesareans but more than 10, 000 normal Deliveries.. even did normal Delivery for Ladies who have undergone cesarean .. I'm really proud of her.. ❤❤

[kimrokhum]

This need to go viral. Let’s share this in every social media platform.

[sidharthdash]

This topic touched me in a deeper level. I live in Netherlands and was blesses with a baby this month. The baby was around 3.5 kg. This was our first baby so we were not sure what is the procedure of child birth in NL. Few months before the delivery we had an intake with doctor. The doctor CATEGORICALLY declined C-Section as an options. Here is what she said " we doctors in NL pledge to never harm our patients. A C-section means cutting 7 layers of human tissue. This procedure will actively harm the mother and baby. We will not perform this operation until either mother or baby are actively in danger "
My wife was very afraid of a natural delivery. She is very soft person, because of that I was also not sure if she could do it. She was in labour for 8+ hrs. The doctors the nurses were cheering her all the way. Our baby was born naturally. One more very important thing about this procedure was the nurse and doctors asked for her "consent" for everything they do to her.

In parallel in India my relative was also pregnant. Her child was around 2.8kg. she is way more stronger. She tried for a natural birth. But only after 2 hrs of trying doctors pushed for C-Section. She was almost done but they still insisted for C-Section. They tried all the fear tactics and finally her husband said yes for C-Section.


I have no doubt about the talent of doctors in india. They are the best of best. But I highly dought their ethics. I cannot trust a single word that they say. And I don't believe that the decision they take is for my best interest.

[emiliagolden]

Man i felt for the man that lost his wife then lost his child😢😢😢. The way he slowly said i lost my child, broke my heart.

[radhajha]

My aunt is a gynae and she worked in this private hospital. One day a patient came her family was financially weak and the child was abnormal like he won't survive long. Looking at their condition my aunt just gave few injection and made her go normal delivery and because of this incident my aunt was humiliated by hospital authorities. And it was that bad that she left that hospital where she worked for years. Right now she is running her own clinic.

[zainabahmed]

Glad you guys brought this documentary to public...thanks for keeping youths informed about medical Ill-practices in our country

[Drnehabetarse]

Words from a doctor:
1. Choose your doctor wisely.
2. Dont hesitate to ask as many questions as you want to till you are satisfied because a good doctor will always answer you about every pro and con.
3. Trust your doctor.

[sapnasontakke]

I don't understand why women health considered so lowly whether it periods or women go thru alot and have nobody to talk about it... this is a much needed topic to talked about. I, myself went thru 2 C- sections in my life thank God me and my both kids are ok...but hearing these stories makes my heart shattered....nobody deserves this... awareness is what we all need...thankyou for the heartwarming video. ❤️

[im_not_here_to_fight]

My heart goes out to the man that lost his entire family. I cried. I hope he gets the justice he needs. I feel so hurt for him. I hope he's doing okay and has good support

[iffyhani]

I delivered both my kids in Germany, during my 1st baby, I was in Labor for 37 hours, but the midwives n doctors here said it is normal. We wait, we observe, & will not go for c sec unless there's any problem with mother or baby. They motivated us a lot, no scaring, no panicking just helped us in every way they could, I used to hear only these sentences, "this is normal", "drink water", "keep walking", "we are here". I am blessed to be in Germany and not in India....I started my daily routine, bicycling etc just after 40 days. I feel so fit and healthy...

[RuchiinChina]

In China, its the opposite. I had 48 hours of labor and they still didn’t agree to do a c section. Now I thank their decision. The pain was worth it. My body feels almost same as it was before birth

[juhidan]

I understood the whole scam/ lack of expertise in my 34th week of pregnancy and took the bold step to travel down to Hyderabad by car from Nagpur just to have a natural birth at Rainbow Hospital. Even if someone has a c section, they should be at peace knowing that they were not cheated, because it causes long term birth trauma. We have the right to choose our doctor cause it’s our body. Take a well informed decision!

[dini_davis]

My heart goes out to the guy who lost both his wife and baby. It’s so sad.

[whyaddnamehere]

I had an emergency c section for my daughter. I can say that they are harder to recover from than natural. Anyone who thinks it's an easy option, it's not. I had to have mine because my daughter was in distress. I was only 37 weeks along and was getting sicker by the day. Her heartbeat kept dropping. I'm thankful for the operation, but I wouldn't recommend it unless necessary.

[ayeshathapa]

This is such an important topic to bring awareness upon . As a 24 y o woman, it scares me to think about the pain other women went through by the medical professionals whom we trust completely during such vulnerable moments . Government should take action upon this so that it doesn't happen to other women, thankyou for spreading awareness .

[anneleonghaseyo]

This is such an eye opener. I’m not even pregnant but this is something that should be looked out for by everyone.

[sm]

I delivered a baby in europe last year at age 40, the doctor categorically denied a c section stating that it will only be done in the event of an emergency. The doctor explained to me how vaginal birth is then safest form of delivery. The doctor a Belgian lady also told me how in countries like India and South America doctors push women for c sections to make money. I had a very easy labour and delivery, my cousin ten years younger than me had a c section in India and no real reason for it

[farhanimplementation]

This video sheds much-needed light on a critical issue that often goes unnoticed in our society. The rising rates of C-sections in India are a cause for concern, and this video does an excellent job of raising awareness and sparking a meaningful conversation. It's crucial for us to understand the factors contributing to this epidemic and work towards ensuring safe and informed birthing choices for all mothers. Kudos to the creators for addressing such an important topic and promoting maternal health and well-being in India! 👏🤰