Beijing has seen a rapid increase in Caesarean births in the past two decades, with the highest rate reaching 60 per cent in some hospitals.

This has offset the efforts of Chinese medical workers to control the Caesarean birth rate, said Ding Hui, a doctor with the Beijing Maternal and Infant Care Centre.

The Caesarean birth rate stood at an average 19.5 per cent annually in Beijing during the 1980-84 period. The rate continued to rise in the following years and hit 47.92 per cent by the end of 2004, Monday's Legal Evening News quoted statistics from the China Eugenic Science Association as saying.

Meanwhile, 80,000 to 120,000 babies are born in Beijing annually.

Beijing's Caesarean birth rate is far higher than the 15 per cent set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

But the Caesarean birth rate should not have risen as fast in Beijing, Ding said.

Some pregnant women demanded a Caesarean operation because they were afraid of pain, and some doctors often gave in to such demands, Ding said.

Heavier babies is another factor behind increasing Caesarean births in the city, said Tian Xiulan, deputy head of the Gynaecology and Obseterics Department of Beijing Renhe Hospital.

Tian said babies weighed about three kilograms on average in the past, but now babies weighing four to five kilograms are seen commonly in local hospitals.

Moreover, as more women decide to have babies at a later age, doctors sometimes suggest Caesarean operations for safety reasons, said doctor Zhai with the Beijing Gynaecology Hospital.

Driven by higher profits, some doctors influence pregnant women to choose Caesarean operations, said doctor Ding with the Beijing Maternal and Infant Care Centre.

A Caesarean operation costs 6,000 yuan (US$750) compared with 2,400 yuan (US$300) for a natural birth.

Experts have suggested that pregnant women should give birth naturally, as Caesarean operations might lead to infant pneumonia, immunodeficiency and other diseases.

(China Daily 05/03/2006 page2)