{
  "id": 2111374,
  "title": "Deliveries at Keralam’s Kozhikode Government Women and Children’s Hospital decline",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/deliveries-at-keralams-kozhikode-government-women-and-childrens",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-20T10:13:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/deliveries-at-keralams-kozhikode-government-women-and-childrens-hospital-decline/article71368209.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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",
  "key_points": [
    "C-section deliveries remained higher than recommended 10-15% rate set by WHO.",
    "OP treatment seekers increased from 81,329 in 2020-21 to 150,305 in 2025-26."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The decline in deliveries at Kozhikode Government Women and Children’s Hospital means it now handles significantly fewer in-patients, despite maintaining a high volume of outpatient care and an unusually high C-section rate.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu Health",
        "title": "Deliveries at Keralam’s Kozhikode Government Women and Children’s Hospital decline",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/deliveries-at-keralams-kozhikode-government-women-and-childrens-2112393",
        "published": "2026-08-20T10:13:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}