Expressing concern over the high rate of Caesarean-section deliveries in Karimnagar district, Telangana Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha on Tuesday said that the government will step up efforts to promote normal deliveries by expanding midwifery training for nurses and introducing dedicated midwifery courses in government medical colleges.

Reviewing the functioning of healthcare services of Jagtial district in Hyderabad, the Minister said records from the past decade indicated that Karimnagar district had one of the highest C-section rates in the country. He said the government was training nurses in government hospitals in midwifery to reduce unnecessary surgical deliveries and would train a large number of nurses as part of the initiative.

Korutla MLA Kalvakuntla Sanjay said deliveries at the Korutla Area Hospital had increased from an average of around 550 to nearly 950. While attributing the rise in institutional deliveries to improved public confidence in government healthcare, he expressed concern over the high proportion of C-section deliveries. “Public perception and the preference of some doctors for surgical deliveries are some factors that have contributed to the trend,” he said.

During the review meeting, the Minister also announced that the Jagtial Government General Hospital (GGH) would soon offer a full range of specialty medical services. A new hospital building equipped with modern facilities is under construction and work would be expedited to make comprehensive specialty care available within the district, he said.

To strengthen medical education and specialist healthcare services, the Minister directed the Director of Medical Education (DME) to immediately apply to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for postgraduate (PG) seats in all major departments at Jagtial Medical College.

He said the Jagtial GGH would function as the district’s primary centre for specialty medical services, while Karimnagar GGH would continue to serve as the referral centre for super-specialty care. A critical care block has recently been established at Jagtial and comprehensive trauma care services would also be introduced, he added.

Highlighting recruitment efforts, the Minister said recruitment was under way for 1,616 specialist doctors to serve in Community Health Centres (CHCs) and area hospitals under the Directorate of Secondary Healthcare, while appointments to 1,182 posts had already been completed. The newly recruited specialists would be posted to hospitals across the State, including Korutla and Metpally, he said.

Jagtial MLA Dr. Sanjay Kumar told the Minister that the GGH had witnessed a steady increase in both outpatient and inpatient numbers and thanked the government for sanctioning the new hospital building.