The Health Insurance Organization (HIO) has launched a pilot program to encourage gynecologists and obstetricians to perform natural childbirth instead of cesarean section.

According to HIO, this scheme precedes the introduction of new clinical guidelines expected in the first quarter of 2025, after which it will be fully implemented.

According to the plan, doctors will receive rewards for carrying out natural childbirth, while those who carry out caesarean section over a certain quota will be punished.

The plan assumes that those who keep the number of uncomplicated cesarean sections they perform within certain limits will receive up to a 15 percent increase in compensation. Conversely, those who exceed the established limits will face reductions, reaching up to 35 percent in extreme cases.

According to the Ministry of Health, caesarean section in Cyprus accounted for 59 percent of births in 2021, compared with the EU average below 30 percent, and the figure has grown even more in subsequent years. The WHO recommendations state that the limit should be 15 percent of the total volume of births. In 2022, out of 10,373 births in Cyprus, 60 percent were caesarean sections. By 2023, this percentage has increased to 62.31 percent.

The data previously presented to the parliamentarians showed that in 2021, only 15-17 percent of cesarean sections were performed in order to save the mother and child. Another 40 percent were planned, and 38 percent were fixed as a mother’s choice.

According to the plan, HIO will monitor caesarean section rates on a monthly basis compared to the total number of births per doctor in the hospital. Each month, the doctor and the nursing facility will receive a cumulative report on this indicator. At the end of each year, the agency will award or fine doctors.

Under this plan, a doctor whose percentage of uncomplicated cesarean sections is less than 30 percent of the total number of births will receive a bonus of 15 percent of the total income from all births performed at this hospital (if the doctor cooperates with several hospitals, the bonus will be added together).

A doctor who performs 30-40 percent of uncomplicated cesarean sections will receive a reward of 5 percent of the total income from all performed deliveries. At the same time, a doctor who exceeds 40 percent will receive a fine in the amount of half of the income from uncomplicated caesarean sections.

If the percentage of uncomplicated cesarean sections is 60-70 percent, the penalty will be a 10 percent reduction, increasing to 15 percent at 70-80 percent and up to 35 percent when performing cesarean sections in more than 90 percent of cases.

A source: cyprus-mail.com

https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/kipre-vnedryat-sxemu-pooshhreniya-vrachej