Nine in ten: Why Jammu and Kashmir’s private hospitals have India’s highest C-Section rate
Data from the National Family Health Survey-6 reveals that Jammu and Kashmir has the highest private-sector C-section rate in India, with nine out of ten births occurring via surgery. Medical experts attribute this trend to a mix of high-risk pregnancy referrals, maternal age, and the financial incentives inherent in private obstetric care.
Why it matters
The rising rate of surgical births in India highlights critical concerns regarding medical necessity versus commercial interests in the private healthcare sector.
In Jammu and Kashmir ’s private hospitals, nine out of every ten babies born arrived by Caesarean section (C-section) — the highest private-sector C-section rate anywhere in India, according to newly analysed data from the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6). West Bengal follows at 87.7%, and Telangana at 83.9% — all three states running far above the national private-sector average of 54.1%.
In India, medical experts attribute the increase in C-sections to a combination of more institutional deliveries, improved detection of high-risk pregnancies, increasing maternal age and medical complications, greater use of assisted reproductive technologies, previous C-sections, and the rapid growth of private-sector obstetric care, where scheduled deliveries, convenience, financial incentives and maternal preference in some cases also contribute to higher C-section rates.
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