Ishtiaq Mannan

Maternal mortality and Caesarean section (C-section) operation are closely linked. Physically, women are designed to give birth through normal delivery. Only in case of about 15% of all delivering women, severe complications may arise where C-section is necessary to save lives and to prevent morbidities. At the country level, there is an interesting interaction between these two.

Maternal mortality has not declined in Bangladesh. The 2016 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey (BMMS), the third of its kind, revealed that the current maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 196 per 100,000 live births, which was 194 in 2010.