Prevalence of normal delivery to cesarean section in Tarhuna city, Libya, the ratio, causes, and solution

Abstract

The method for giving birth to babies in the Tarhuna area of Libya is now through Caesarean section (C/S), which is on the rise. There have been several factors not related to a mother's medical issue that have contributed to the high C/S rate including: the mother's desire for a C/S; the war in Libya leading to a lack of stability in the country; the financial incentive for providers to do C/S's; the lifestyles of the many women; and the quality of the healthcare profession in Libya. The aim of this study is to assess the rate of C/S's performed at both public and private hospitals as well as to investigate what factors have influenced the increase in C/S's at both public and private hospitals. The study included data collected from 1607 births delivered at a public and private hospital in Tarhuna over a period of seven months (January, February, March, April, May, June, and July 2020) to evaluate the number of C/S's performed as compared to the number of normal vaginal deliveries. The findings of the study were as follows: The rate of C/S's at the public hospital located in Tarhuna was 55.27% of all births performed; whereas at the private hospital located in Tarhuna, 59.79% of all births performed were C/S's. Based on the findings of this research, it has been concluded that C/S's in Tarhuna exceed WHO recommendations and exceed C/S rates for some neighboring Arab countries.