Covid-19 and C-Sections: What we know so far

Health systems across the world are taking strain under the weight of coronavirus infections, so healthcare institutions are implementing various techniques to ease the burden on them. According to reports on TimesLive is a call by the SA Medical Council during this period, to keep c-section deliveries at a minimum in a bid to preserve medical protective equipment for healthcare professionals combating the coronavirus pandemic.

Victoria Black, a Joburg- based private midwife says, “From a midwife’s perspective if a mom is low risk then there is no problem as one can understand that when hospital staff are triaging  patients that they would want to keep that protective equipment for moms who have medical underlying conditions and need to get specialized attention. If you are low risk mom and healthy and it’s not going to pose any risk to you and the baby then it’s fine but you do still need to have a midwife and an obstetrician attending to your birth. You cannot birth yourself at home. There are midwifes who do births at home but it’s only for mothers who are low risk”.

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Here are the key takeaways from SA Medical Council’s call:

• Doctors and hospitals will be encouraging women to give birth naturally to conserve hospital protective clothing
• “The protective clothing would usually be worn by the team of doctors and nurses during a caesarean delivery — but this gear will be essential in the fight against Covid-19,” says chairperson of the SA Medical Council Dr Angelique Coetzee said.
• Natural delivery will also ensure that moms could leave hospital sooner, thereby freeing up beds for other patients
• A March 2020 study by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) revealed that 76.9% of births covered by medical aids were via C-section.

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