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Caesarean: Private hospitals under probe
2006-11-01 09:12:06
By Pascal Shao, Dodoma
The government is investigating allegations that there are private hospitals in the country that force expectant mothers to undergo Caesarean section (CS) for financial gains, Parliament was told yesterday.
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr. Aisha Kigoda made the remarks during question and answer session.
Dr Kigoda was responding to a question by Lucy Mayenga (CCM special seats).
’’The government is investigating the matter and whoever will be implicated in the scam, which is a breach of professional ethics, would be punished accordingly,” Dr. Kigoda said.
She noted that if medics conducted their business with strict adherence to their professional ethics, then nobody would conduct operations on expectant mothers for commercial expediency.
Dr Kigoda was categorical that the ministry had no information on private hospitals compelling expectant mothers to undergo unnecessary operations.
The deputy minister asked the MPs to volunteer information on health institutions that engaged in the practice. She said the ministry was not aware of the matter.
Dr. Kigoda said Dar es Salaam has a total of 23 hospitals. Three of them are owned by the municipalities.
Besides Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) which is a national referral hospital, the city has 19 private hospitals offering maternal services among other services.
On family planning and health of mothers, Dr Kigoda said the ministry was designing strategies to persuade more men to accept and undergo vasectomy.
Professor David Mwakyusa, Minister for Health and Social Welfare, while responding to a supplementary question by Dr. Wilbroad Slaa (Karatu Chadema) said the ministry emphasised on normal delivery, as opposed to Caesarean Section, which Dr. Slaa claimed was widely used in Europe.
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