SSa is instructed to make cases of obstetric violence transparent

Mexico City.- The Ministry of Health (SSa) was instructed to publish the sentences delivered by the National Medical Arbitration Commission (Conamed) in which it confirms that obstetric violence has been exercised, ruled the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI).

The INAI also ordered the SSa to publish the number of sentences in which a doctor or hospital has been convicted for exercising this type of violence.

“Obstetric violence in Mexico has become normalized, affecting three out of every ten women, according to Inegi statistics; making it visible and describing it is essential to eradicate it,” said the president-commissioner of the INAI, Blanca Ibarra.

“Faced with this context, transparency and the right to information are powerful tools to update the women’s rights agenda in Mexico and represent a starting point to build a society more respectful of their rights, as fundamental as they are. life and human dignity”.

Ibarra highlighted that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the National Human Rights Commission have identified, alerted and pointed out various cases of obstetric violence in Mexico and other countries, where Women have been targeted during childbirth or during a cesarean section.

“Obstetric violence covers violent or non-consensual practices and behaviors during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, ranging from performing cesarean sections without information, pressure to insert contraceptive devices, painful interventions without analgesics, forcing to give birth in a certain position and even excessively or unnecessarily medicating patients.

It can also be psychological, for example, giving the patient a type of childish, paternalistic, authoritarian, derogatory or depersonalized treatment, which can also reproduce patriarchal prejudices.

In this regard, an individual requested from the SSa the statistics by year and number of patients who suffered obstetric violence in all its hospitals, specifying the parameters that led them to conclude this situation.

It also requested the public version of the reports delivered by Connamed in which it was determined that obstetric violence was committed, and the number of sentences in which a doctor from its hospitals or a hospital was convicted for exercising obstetric violence.

In response, the SSa declared itself incompetent to know what was required and suggested directing the request to Connamed, which caused the dissatisfaction of the applicant, who went to the INAI to file an appeal for review.

In the analysis of the case, led by Ibarra, an analysis of the Health Information Exchange Guide was carried out, from which it appears that the Subsystem of Injuries and Causes of Violence, administered by the SSa, does not record cases of obstetric violence, which is why the appeal was partially dismissed.

However, it was also found that Connamed issues statistical information that includes complaints against SSa hospitals for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2022, which shows that the obligated subject does have powers to know what is required. .

The Official Mexican Standard NOM-007-SSA2-2016 states that most obstetric damages and risks to the health of the mother and the newborn can be prevented, detected and treated successfully through the application of care procedures. , including the use of the risk approach and the implementation of preventive activities.

For this reason, unanimously, the Plenary of the INAI partially dismissed the appeal for review with regard to the request for statistics but revoked the SSa’s response and ordered it to deliver the awards in which it was confirmed that violence was committed. obstetrics and the number of convictions.