The Turkish health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for performing Caesarian sections. Along with the financial penalties, the government has suspended the doctors from their duties and forced them to attend mandatory training courses.
According to data from 2023, Turkey has the highest rate of C-section births among all 38 nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In that year, around 615 out of every 1,000 live births in the country were delivered via a C-section.
Medical professionals explain that C-sections are highly time-efficient for hospital staff. A typical surgical delivery takes about 30 minutes, compared to around 12 hours for a traditional natural delivery. Doctors also note that the surgery lowers the risk of facing legal action over unexpected childbirth complications.
However, the Turkish government has launched a strict campaign to lower these numbers under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "Decade of the Family" initiative. The government is trying to address falling birthrates by exerting tighter control over how women give birth.
President Erdogan is pushing for women to have natural births instead of surgeries. As part of this effort, the government banned elective C-sections at private healthcare facilities without a clear medical justification.
Local medical associations reported a significant backlash from healthcare professionals after the fines were issued. The Antalya Chamber of Physicians confirmed that gynaecologists across the country face intense disciplinary investigations, warnings, and forced suspensions for their delivery statistics.
In one specific case at a private hospital in Sakarya near Istanbul, an obstetrician was dismissed and suspended for six months at the direct request of the health ministry. To get their licence back, the doctor must complete training at a state hospital and pass a formal examination.
Dr Ayse Gultekingil, a top official at the Turkish Medical Association, warned that penalising individual workers will not solve the issue. She stated that Turkey's C-section rate exceeds 60 percent because of structural flaws deeply rooted inside the national healthcare system rather than individual doctor choices.
