安徽省将监管非必要的剖腹产手术

The health authority in Anhui province has issued China's first provincial guide-line for cesarean sections, aimed at bringing down the excessively high level of such procedures in the province.

安徽省卫生局发布了国内首个关于剖腹产的省级指导方针，旨在降低本省过高的剖宫产率。

The guideline listed 14 types of medical requirements for a C-section, such as fetal distress (for lack of oxygen, for example) or abnormality of the birth canal.

此项方针列出了14种医学需要的剖宫产手术，如胎儿窘迫（比如缺氧）或者产道异常。

The guideline was issued to all medical institutions in the province in July, according to Wang Hai, chief of maternal health at the Anhui provincial Bureau of Health and Family Planning.

据安徽省卫生计生委妇幼保健处处长王海称，这项方针在七月份便已经下发给全省所有医疗机构。

"doctors are duty-bound to refuse to perform a C-section without the presence of a clear need," Wang said at a news conference on Monday.

“若无明确的剖宫产需求，医生是有责任拒绝的，”王海在周一的新闻发布会上如是说。

Doctors can perform a C-section when there is no medical requirement if the pregnant woman or her family demands it, and only after receiving signatures from both the pregnant woman and her doctor in charge, Wang said.

王海称，若无医学需要，但孕妇及其家人要求剖宫产时，只有在孕妇和其主治医生都签名后，医生才能进行手术。

The guideline is expected to reduce the rate of C-sections in the province, which was about 40 percent last year, to 30 percent in the next three to five years, the provincial family planning bureau said.

省计生局称，去年本省的剖宫产率达到了40%左右，而此项方针意在未来三到五年之内，将这一比率降低到30%。

Forty-six percent of women in China deliver by C-section, one of the highest rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization. The organization recommends a rate of no higher than 15 percent.

世界卫生组织称，我国剖宫产率位居世界第一，46%的妇女通过剖宫产分娩。而世界卫生组织建议的剖宫产比率是不要超过15%。

Cesarean sections are necessary in emergency cases, but excessive use of unnecessary surgeries, such as for giving birth on a lucky day, poses serious health risks to mothers and babies, according to the Anhui health authority.

安徽省卫生局称，对于一些急症病例，剖宫产十分必要，但非必要手术的滥用，比如为了让孩子在幸运日出生而进行手术，则会为母婴带来严重的健康风险。

Cai Wenzhi, deputy dean of the School of Nursing at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, said that in practice many hospitals are trying to reduce C-sections, but government intervention will be more effective.

广州南方医科大学护理学院的副院长蔡文智说，实际上许多医院都在设法减少剖宫产手术，但政府干预更为有效。

"The move by Anhui's health commission is a good start for other areas in China," she said. With the guideline, doctors in Anhui province will find it easier to refuse unreasonable requests for C-sections from their patients.

“对中国其他地区来说，安徽省卫生委员会的此项举措是个良好的开端，”她说。在此项方针的指导下，安徽省的医生们将会发现，拒绝病人不合理的剖腹产要求会更容易些。

"Hospitals charge much more for C-sections than for natural birth," she said. "C-sections are also faster, while midwives may have to keep waiting for more than 20 hours for a natural delivery."

“医院对于剖宫产的收费比自然分娩要高，”她说。“剖宫产也更快些，自然分娩的话，助产士有时候可能要等上20多个小时。”