The Director, Family Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Kofi Issah, has called for an increase in awareness creation on the safety of Caesarean Section(CS) to demystify the misconception that the procedure was deadly.

He described CS as a lifesaving intervention, saying it was the safest and surest way of saving the life of a mother, and the baby during pregnancy or labour complications.

Dr Issah disclosed these in an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Times to disabuse people’s minds about perceptions and misconceptions about CS.

According to him, a CS might be carried out when labour was not progressing, when a pregnant woman had issues with her blood pressure, baby in distress or in breech position, carrying multiples, prolapsed umbilical cord, multiple genital herpes and when there was a problem with the placenta of the mother, among others.

Also he mentioned that a CS might be planned ahead of time if a woman had had a previous CS and was not considering a vaginal birth option.

Dr Issah explained that there were some women who willingly opted for CS due to the fear of labour pains.

“As medical practitioners our main aim is to save lives, therefore, when a woman comes in with complications during pregnancy we do not take chances.  No one deserves to die in the process of giving life to another so we must all do our best in stopping the spread of wrong information about CS,” he explained

“With the hypertensive diseases, she arrives at the hospital and has BP above the normal range of 120/70, start with complications, having headache, stomach pains, she starts convulsing due to the pregnancy and gets to a point that if she gets to the labour ward, you either lose one of them or both, so the only option is CS,” he said.

Throwing more light on the need for education on the safety of CS, Dr Issah stated that traditional rulers and religious leaders had various roles to play in dispelling misconceptions surrounding the medical procedure.

“They are to help champion the course of promoting safe delivery and not discouraging women from undergoing CS. There are some religious leaders who specifically tell their members never to go under the knife, no matter the circumstance and rather focus on praying to reverse the situation.

“I do not know the bible that much, simple thing is do unto others what you want others to do unto you. If the pastor’s wife is in a critical labour situation and a CS is the only option, do you think he will stop his wife from that,” he asked.

Dr Issah urged individuals to allay fears, have confidence and trust the procedure when there was the need to perform CS.