Turkey fines more than 100 obstetricians over C-sections as Erdogan pushes natural births

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to reduce the number of caesarean sections and is pushing for so-called “natural” births. In April last year, caesarean sections were banned in private health clinics unless they were medically justified.

Since then, more than 100 doctors have been fined, writes the Turkish newspaper Birgün. Others have been suspended or forced to undergo training.

More than half of all births in Turkey are by caesarean section, meaning the country has the highest rate of caesarean sections among all OECD countries.

Doctors interviewed by AFP see the procedure as time-efficient - around 30 minutes compared with twelve hours for a vaginal birth - and say it reduces the risk of lawsuits over complications.