CM Naidu orders audit of hospitals reporting over 20 percent c-sections

Vijayawada: To address rising concerns over unnecessary caesarean deliveries, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed the medical and health department to audit hospitals reporting more than 20% C-sections. He instructed that surgical births should be conducted only in cases of medical complications, emergencies, or on the recommendation of specialist doctors. 

According to the news reports, while reviewing the ongoing Sanjeevani Project at his camp office, Naidu stressed prioritising normal deliveries and maternal healthcare practices. He instructed officials to expand the Sanjeevani project statewide by July. The initiative, currently piloted in Chittoor district, including Kuppam and Naravaripalle, focuses on population-level health screening, early disease detection, and creating a comprehensive digital health database.  

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Officials reported that 3.14 lakh citizens have already been enrolled in the Sanjeevani digital nerve centre database. Under the programme, each individual is assigned a digital health profile, with periodic updates and long-term tracking, enabling a shift toward preventive healthcare. The CM set an ambitious target of conducting medical tests for 56.40 lakh people within a year. To support this, Rs 162 crore has been sanctioned for the deployment of 904 mobile medical units.

Naidu also announced that village meetings, health camps, and awareness programmes will be organised under ‘Swarna Andhra Population Management' on the fourth Saturday of every month from April. MPs, MLAs, district collectors, and medical officers have been asked to participate in the outreach initiatives, reports TOI. 

Officials were also tasked with preparing a comprehensive ‘A.P. Health Management Policy is structured around five pillars: Maternity, Strength, Skill, Welfare, and Sanjeevani. Plans for a Universal Health Policy through the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust were reviewed, with several insurance companies expressing interest in partnerships.

To enhance medical infrastructure, Mr. Naidu discussed establishing medical colleges under a public-private partnership model and instructed officials to promptly fill vacancies in the Health Department through rationalisation.

According to the Hindu, Mr. Naidu emphasised the integration of pharmacy networks and laboratory services and said that Caesarean deliveries should be conducted only when medically necessary. If, however, such cases exceed 20%, audits must be carried out, he told the officials. The review meeting was attended by Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, Chief Secretary Sai Prasad, and senior officials from the Health Department.

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