Turkey’s health ministry fines more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out Caesarean sections, and in some cases suspends them from duty and orders them to take additional training, according to reports citing Turkish medical associations. The actions follow scrutiny over Turkey’s high Caesarean rate. Using the last available OECD data from 2023, both outlets note Turkey has the highest C-section rate among the OECD’s 38 nations, with about 615 C-sections per 1,000 live births. Medical professionals cited by the outlets say C-sections can be more time-efficient for clinicians and may reduce the risk of legal action over complications. They also note that last year the Turkish government launched efforts to address falling birthrates under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative, including stronger guidance on how women give birth. Erdogan advocates “natural” births and, in April 2025, bans elective Caesareans at private healthcare facilities without medical justification. One report describes disciplinary steps including warnings, investigations, temporary suspensions, and mandatory antenatal training. Another cites a case where a doctor is dismissed after high C-section use, then suspended for six months.
Turkey fines over 100 doctors for high Caesarean section rates amid Erdogan push for “natural” births
Turkey’s health ministry fines more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out Caesarean sections, and in some cases suspends them from duty and orders them to take additional training, acc...
- Turkey’s health ministry fines more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for performing Caesarean sections.
- Reported penalties include suspending doctors from duty and requiring them to undergo training.
- Turkey has the highest reported C-section rate among OECD countries, with about 615 procedures per 1,000 live births in 2023 data.
- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promotes “natural” births and the government increases control over delivery practices under its family policy.
- In April 2025, Turkey bans elective Caesareans at private hospitals without medical justification.
ANKARA: Turkiye’s health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out Caesarean sections, suspending them from duty and forcing them to undergo training, BirGun newspaper reported on Saturday. The country has the highest rate of C-section births among the OECD’s 38 nations, according to the last available data from 2023, with around 615 such procedures out of every 1,000 live births that year. Medical professionals have said C-sections were more time-efficient for medical staff — 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a traditional delivery — and lowered the risk of legal action over complications, ensuring a guarantee of safety for both the physician and the women. Last year, the Turkish government began a campaign to tackle falling birthrates under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative that has seen it move to exert greater control over how women give birth. Erdogan, a pious Muslim who is pushing for women to have so-called natural births, wants to address Turkiye’s record number of elective C-section births, with his government in April 2025 banning such procedures at private healthcare facilities without medical justification. According to BirGun, more than 100 doctors have been fined for performed C-sections, citing figures provided by medical associations across the country, sparking a backlash from heathcare professionals. On its website, the Antalya Chamber of Physicians said obstetricians had been “issued with warnings, subjected to disciplinary investigations, temporarily suspended from practising, and compelled to attend antenatal training courses, on the grounds of high caesarean section rates across the country”. The Diken news website cited the case of one obstetrician working at a private hospital in Sakarya near Istanbul, who was dismissed at the request of the health ministry on grounds of a high rate of C-sections, then suspended for six months. Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026
3 hours agoTurkey’s health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out cesarean sections, suspending them from duty and forcing them to undergo training. The country has the highest rate of C-section births among the OECD’s 38 nations, according to the last available data from 2023, with around 615 such procedures out of every 1,000 live births that year. Medical professionals said C-sections were more time-efficient for medical staff – 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a...
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