Rising C-section use and the private maternal health care sector in Pakistan: evidence from the 2012-13 and 2017-18 Demographic and Health Surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pakistan is part of a global escalation in cesarean section (C-section) rates, raising concerns that medically unnecessary procedures are being performed-particularly within the private maternal health care sector. Some studies have shown that C-section rates are higher in private than in public health facilities, possibly due to timesaving and profit-driven incentives among private-sector physicians. Consequently, Pakistan's private health facilities may be more likely to perform nonessential C-sections than its public facilities. Building on these concerns, this paper examines how delivery at a private versus public facility in Pakistan affects the likelihood of a C-section, and how this likelihood has evolved over time.

Methods

We used data from the 2012-13 and

SUBMITTER: Cready CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12560495 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature