Turkey Punishes Obstetricians for Excessive C-Sections

Turkey's Health Ministry has punished more than a hundred obstetricians for performing an excessive number of C-section operations, according to the newspaper "BirGun". Turkey has the highest rate of Caesarean sections among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The latest data from 2023 shows that a significant proportion of live births in Turkey were delivered via C-section.

Doctors note that C-sections save staff time—the procedure takes about 30 minutes compared to several hours for natural childbirth—and reduce the risk of legal consequences related to complications. Last year, the Turkish government launched a campaign to combat declining birth rates under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "Family Decade" initiative, seen as an effort to exert more control over women's childbirth choices.

Erdogan has emphasized the need for natural births and reducing the high rate of elective C-sections. In April of last year, the government banned C-sections in private healthcare facilities unless medically necessary. According to data from professional medical organizations, over 100 doctors have been penalized, receiving warnings, facing disciplinary investigations, being temporarily suspended, and being required to attend prenatal training courses. These measures have sparked outrage among specialists.