With a national prevalence rate of 21%, this statistic raises concerns about the potential overuse of C-sections and the associated health risks.
The GDHS data highlights a worrying trend, with one in five women opting for caesarean section (CS), deviating significantly from recommended standards and raising concerns about potential overuse and associated health consequences.
Addressing this issue requires targeted interventions, including initiatives such as enhanced education of mothers about delivery options and improved training for health care providers to ensure the appropriate use of cesarean sections.
Dr. Chris Opoku Fofie, Deputy Director of Reproductive and Child Health at GHS, emphasized the importance of judicious use of C-sections, stating: “We support C-sections, but there should be a systematic approach to ensure that it is given to those who genuinely require it , rather than being used as a one-size-fits-all solution for all women.”
Since 1998, the survey has been conducted under the leadership of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, GHS and other stakeholders.
The aim is to provide information to program managers and policy makers, enabling them to evaluate and improve existing programmes.
The fieldwork of the most recent survey took place from 17 October 2022 to 14 January 2023.
For this survey, a nationally representative sample of 15,014 women aged between 15 and 49 in 17,933 households were interviewed, along with 7,044 men aged 15 to 59 from half of the sampled households.