Deliveries at Keralam’s Kozhikode Government Women and Children’s Hospital decline
According to Health department, there were a total of 5,201 deliveries (2,729 normal and 2,472 C-section) in 2020-21. This number came down to 2,238 (1,387 normal and 851 C-section) in 2025-26. A large number of people from the urban areas of Kozhikode are dependant on the hospital
Normal deliveries at the Government Women and Children’s Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala are on the decline, according to data from the Health department. In 2020-21, there were 5,201 deliveries, including 2,729 normal and 2,472 C-section deliveries. This number fell to 2,238 in 2025-26, with 1,387 normal and 851 C-section births.
The percentage of C-section deliveries remained higher than the recommended rate of 10-15%, as suggested by the World Health Organisation. The number of in-patient admissions dropped from 8,315 in 2020-21 to 4,683 in 2023-24, and then rose to 5,089 in 2025-26. Despite the decline in deliveries, the hospital continues to receive a significant number of outpatient (OP) treatment seekers.
In 2020-21, 81,329 people sought OP care, which increased to 155,257 in 2024-25, and slightly decreased to 150,305 in 2025-26. The chairman of the Kozhikode-based rights organization Pouravakasha Samrakshana Samithi, Satheesh Parannur, has called for a detailed inquiry from the Health department into the decline in deliveries and in-patient admissions.
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