Caesar’s legions
The global rise of Caesarean sections is being driven not by medical necessity but by growing wealth—and perverse financial incentives for doctors
A YEAR ago a hospital in São Paulo announced that its maternity ward would henceforth only admit clients from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. The message was clear: births by appointment only—that is, by Caesarean section. For Arthur Chioro, Brazil’s health minister, it was equally unequivocal: the country’s attitude to birth “has become absurd”.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Caesar’s legions”
International August 15th 2015
From the August 15th 2015 edition
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