Turkey’s Ministry of Health has fined more than 100 obstetricians and gynaecologists for performing Caesarean section deliveries as the government steps up efforts to reduce the country’s high C-section rate.
According to Turkish newspaper BirGun, some of the affected doctors have also been suspended from practice and ordered to undergo compulsory training.
The sanctions are part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s campaign promoting what he calls “natural births.”
Turkey recorded the highest Caesarean delivery rate among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2023. Data showed that about 615 out of every 1,000 live births were delivered through C-section.
Medical experts told AFP that many doctors opt for Caesarean deliveries because they are quicker, taking about 30 minutes compared to labour that can last up to 12 hours. They also say the procedure reduces the risk of legal action arising from complications during childbirth.
As part of efforts to reverse declining birth rates, Erdogan’s government launched its “Decade of the Family” initiative last year, introducing policies aimed at encouraging vaginal deliveries.
In April 2025, the government banned elective Caesarean sections in private hospitals unless there was a medical reason for the procedure.
According to BirGun, the latest disciplinary measures against doctors have sparked criticism from healthcare professionals.
The Antalya Chamber of Physicians said doctors have received official warnings, faced disciplinary investigations, been temporarily suspended from practising, and ordered to attend antenatal training programmes because of what authorities described as high Caesarean rates.
Local news outlet Diken reported the case of an obstetrician in Sakarya, near Istanbul, who was dismissed from a private hospital at the request of the health ministry after being accused of carrying out too many Caesarean deliveries.
The doctor was also suspended for six months and instructed to complete training at a state hospital before taking an examination to regain the licence to practise.
Ayse Gultekingil, a senior official of the Turkish Medical Association, argued that punishing doctors would not address the root of the problem.
She said Turkey’s Caesarean rate, which exceeds 60 per cent, reflects broader structural challenges within the country’s healthcare system rather than the decisions of individual doctors.
