An extra €2 million was spent last year by the Government on unnecessary Caesarean births that could easily have been normal deliveries, according to the Malta Midwives Association.
The exorbitant number of Caesareans as well as the high rate of medical birth inductions also meant the 64 beds available at the hospital’s obstetrics ward were not enough to keep up with the demand, said association president Mary Buttigieg Said.
“The problem is that in Malta we consider pregnancy as an illness and not as the social event it is,” she told a conference entitled Normalising Childbirth in St Julian’s.
She said according to WHO guidelines, 25 beds in labour wards would be more than enough for the size of the population. But beds were being occupied for four extra nights due to Caesarean operations.
At 32 per cent, Malta has the highest rate of Caesarean sections in the EU.
WHO recommends an annual average of between 10 to 15 per cent.
A C-section costs the Government €3,867.29, which includes the operation and a six-night hospital stay, said Ms Buttigieg Said, basing her figures on bills foreigners paid when they used NHS services. A normal delivery only cost the Government €768.69 for...
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