Abdel-Ghaffar stressed in a statement that caesarean delivery (C-sections) increases the likelihood that a newborn baby would have to be placed in an incubator after birth.

"The bulk of these deliveries that were done through C-sections were not necessary and could have been performed the natural way," the ministry spokesperson added.

In August, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) reported a noticeable increase in C-sections in recent years.

CAPMAS found that C-sections increased to 72 percent of all deliveries in 2021, up from 52 percent in 2014.

The agency also found that C-sections in rural areas increased to 84 percent of all deliveries in 2021, up from 70.6 percent in 2014.

Directives to lower C-sections

Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar has recently directed officials at the ministry to lower the rate of "unjustified" C-sections and increase the rate of natural deliveries to protect the health of mothers and newborns.

The directives aim to lower the severe negative consequences associated with caesarean deliveries, which puts the mothers at risk for complications, including placenta accrete, cesarean hysterectomy, and massive birth bleeding.

They also aim to lower the risks to the health of the newborn from C-sections also leave newborns, including increase in intestinal bacteria, obesity, allergies, autism, diabetes, and immune diseases.

These directives include equating the fees for physicians and medical staff  in the delivering of babies naturally and through C-sections, according to the spokesperson.

The directives also includes earmarking financial incentives for medical staffers that achieve higher rates of natural births, requiring all private and public hospitals to adhere to caesarean-related guidelines.

Minister Abdel-Ghaffar also directed the ministry to distribute questionnaires to residential areas to study how to encourage pregnant women to adopt the idea of natural births.

The ministry will also introduce legislation granting obstetricians or nurses the right to apply natural birth delivery in cases with inconsequential side effects, as well holding social and media discussions on the consequences of C-sections.

The fertility rate per woman in Egypt declined in 2021 to 2.8, a 20 percent drop from the 3.5 births per woman recorded in 2014, according to the CAPMAS, with the the fall attriburted to an increase in the use of birth control.

The government spends over EGP 100 million (approximately $5.2 million) to provide family planning methods for free or at lowered prices as part of its efforts to slow population growth.

The health ministry operates 5,043 medical units to provide reproductive health services nationwide.

Egypt's 103-million-plus population, which has increased by 14 million in just the past seven years, is estimated to reach 153.7 million by 2050.