Turkey’s Health Ministry has reportedly fined and suspended more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists over high rates of caesarean section deliveries, in a move that has triggered backlash from medical professionals and associations across the country.
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According to BirGun newspaper, the doctors were sanctioned for performing caesarean sections at rates considered excessive by authorities. The penalties reportedly include financial fines, disciplinary investigations, temporary suspension from practice, compulsory antenatal training and mandatory examinations before affected doctors can resume work.
The report said some doctors were also dismissed from private hospitals at the request of the Health Ministry, including an obstetrician at a private hospital in Sakarya, near Istanbul, who was allegedly suspended for six months over a high caesarean delivery rate.
Turkey currently has the highest rate of caesarean births among the 38 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Available 2023 data showed about 615 caesarean procedures for every 1,000 live births in the country.
The crackdown comes amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative, launched to address Turkey’s falling birthrate and promote what the government describes as natural births.
In April 2025, the Turkish government banned elective caesarean sections at private healthcare facilities unless there is medical justification.
However, medical professionals have criticised the sanctions, arguing that Turkey’s high caesarean rate is not simply a matter of doctors’ preference but a symptom of deeper problems in the healthcare system.
Doctors told AFP that caesarean deliveries are often preferred because they are faster, taking about 30 minutes compared with several hours of traditional labour, and may reduce the risk of malpractice claims arising from complications during natural birth.
The Antalya Chamber of Physicians said obstetricians had been issued warnings, subjected to disciplinary probes, suspended from practice and forced to attend training because of high caesarean rates across the country.
A senior official of the Turkish Medical Association, Dr Ayse Gultekingil, also faulted the approach, saying punishing doctors would not resolve the issue.
According to her, Turkey’s caesarean birth rate exceeds 60 per cent, but the method of delivery reflects wider challenges within the country’s healthcare system, including workload pressures, staffing concerns, infrastructure gaps and fear of legal liability.
Medical groups argue that rather than sanctioning individual doctors, the government should address the structural reasons why caesarean deliveries have become common in Turkey.
The controversy has intensified debate over reproductive healthcare, medical independence and the extent of government control over how women give birth.
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