Fernandez Hospital uses trained midwives to facilitate natural childbirths

Fernandez asserts that her midwives have contributed dramatically to reducing the C-section rates for their chain

Evita Fernandez, 65, who runs Hyderabad’s Fernandez chain of hospitals, has an answer to the growing number of caesarean section childbirths in the country. She wants to set up a School for Midwifery that will train its students to bring about natural births for mothers-to-be. Her 70-year-old hospital chain, which was founded by her parents, is also working with the government to develop a four-year professional midwifery programme like that in the UK and Europe.

For the last decade or so, there has been an explosion of caesarean section deliveries in India. So much so that many doctors and healthcare