African Women Who Undergo Caesarean Section 50 Times More Likely To Die Than Women In Wealthy Nations, Study Shows

Agence France-Presse: C-section 50 times more deadly for women in Africa: study
“The death rate among women undergoing a C-section to deliver a baby is about 50 times higher in Africa than in most wealthy nations, researchers said Friday. One in 200 women perished during or soon after a caesarean in a sampling of nearly 3,700 births across 22 African countries, they reported in The Lancet Global Health. By comparison, maternal mortality is approximately one woman per 10,000 operations in Britain. Death rates related to C-sections are roughly the same across most developed countries…” (3/15).

CNN: African mothers 50 times more likely to die after c-section than moms in rich countries, study says
“…The study had some limitations, the authors noted, with a disproportionate number of participating hospitals university-affiliated rather than district hospitals, which act as first-level providers of care for most African women and typically have fewer resources. Also, two-thirds of patients were from middle-income countries, where better levels of care are available than in Africa’s poorest countries. ‘The true morbidity and mortality after caesarean section on the continent is therefore likely to be higher than reported,’ … Anna Dare of the Centre for Global Health Research, St. Michael’s Hospital and the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto[, wrote in an accompanying commentary]…” (Hunt/Mavhunga, 3/14).

The Telegraph: Maternal deaths from C-sections 50 times higher in Africa than U.K.
“…The findings highlight an urgent need to improve the safety of cesarean operations, say the report authors. ‘Improvement of C-section surgical outcomes could substantially improve both maternal and neonatal mortality, which would lead to key global health gains,’ said Bruce Biccard, professor at the University of Cape Town and lead author of the study. ‘Our findings could potentially inform interventions to improve the safety of C-sections for both mother and baby’…” (Newey, 3/14).

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