A senior obstetrician noted that Telangana’s urban centres have a robust network of private hospitals, many within easy reach, which fuels a perception of superior quality.
Published May 26, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 26, 2025 | 7:00 AM
The Pedapalli district collector and a judicial officer holding their newborns after birth at government hospitals (Supplied)
Synopsis: Recently, some top officials in Telangana chose government hospitals for childbirth and were praised by the chief minister. However, more than one in three mothers in Telangana still choose private hospitals for childbirth. The trend is particularly strong in urban areas, where only 54.9 percent of deliveries occur in government hospitals, compared to 63.5 percent in rural parts of the state.
“A rich prosperous country is not one where people can afford private healthcare but almost all people trust public healthcare systems,” said Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, lauding judicial officer Jyothirmayi for choosing to deliver her baby in a government facility.
“Vemulawada brought to the fore one of many such stories in last 17 months since People’s Government took charge of reins of Telangana – Civil Judge Jyothirmayi garu set an example by choosing a government facility for her delivery. This was an encore, for her second child too. This baby is hope of Telangana, and in her growing up and rise, we shall witness #TelanganaRising as an unstoppable journey,” the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
A rich prosperous country is not one where people can afford private healthcare but almost all people trust public healthcare systems.
Vemulawada brought to the fore one of many such stories in last 17 months since People’s Government took charge of reins of #Telangana – Civil… pic.twitter.com/kDvlNDJuJ3
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) May 21, 2025
She is not alone. On 27 April 2025, Vijaya, the wife of Peddapalli District Collector Koya Sree Harsha, gave birth to a baby boy at the Godavarikhani Government General Hospital. Throughout her pregnancy, Vijaya had chosen to rely entirely on the government hospital for antenatal care, culminating in a C-section delivery led by senior doctors.
These examples clearly demonstrate that top state officials, including the chief minister himself, endorse the capability and trustworthiness of government healthcare institutions in Telangana.
Yet, the broader public perception — especially in urban areas — tells a more mixed story.
More than one in three mothers (37.1 percent) in Telangana still choose private hospitals for childbirth. The trend is particularly strong in urban areas, where only 54.9 percent of deliveries occur in government hospitals, compared to 63.5 percent in rural parts of the state. As a result, Telangana’s overall reliance on government hospitals for delivery stands at 60.2 percent — below the national average of 66.2 percent.
It’s not rural Telangana that is holding back the state’s use of government hospitals for childbirth. In fact, government hospitals account for 63.5 percent of deliveries in rural areas — compared to just 54.9 percent in urban areas.
Private hospitals, on the other hand, conduct 42.8 percent of urban deliveries in Telangana. This places the state among the top seven in the country in terms of private sector reliance during childbirth, trailing only Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
This urban tilt toward private care mirrors a larger national trend — one driven by a mix of access, affordability, and perception. For many city residents, even those eligible for public health insurance, private maternity facilities are often seen as cleaner, less crowded, or more responsive.
“In rural Telangana, government hospitals are the default — people have trust in them and often don’t have many private options,” said a senior obstetrician at a government hospital in Hyderabad. “But in urban areas like Hyderabad, even middle-income families prefer private care, especially for childbirth, which is viewed as a high-stakes event.”
She added that Telangana’s urban centres have a robust network of private hospitals, many within easy reach, which fuels a perception of superior quality.
“Public hospitals like Gandhi Hospital, MCH Petalaburj, or Niloufer offer excellent maternal care. But for many first-time mothers in cities, especially from the middle-income segment, private hospitals are preferred for shorter waiting times, better infrastructure, and more personalised care,” the obstetrician explained.
Even in rural areas, over one in three deliveries (33.5 percent) still happen in private hospitals — underscoring the strength of the private sector’s presence across the state.
Yet, Telangana performs remarkably well in ensuring that all deliveries are medically attended. Only 2.7 percent of births were handled by professionals outside formal hospital settings, and the state reported zero deliveries without medical attention. That’s a rare achievement when compared to national data, where 1.3 percent of births still occur without any skilled assistance.
Telangana falls behind other Southern states like Tamil Nadu (66.3 percent) and Karnataka (65.5 percent), but is ahead of Andhra Pradesh (57.6 percent) and Kerala (34.2 percent).
Among all Indian states, Jammu & Kashmir leads with the highest percentage of institutional deliveries in government hospitals at 89.4 percent, followed by Madhya Pradesh (83.9 percent), Assam (81.8 percent), Rajasthan (80.8 percent), and Odisha (77.3 percent).
On the other end of the spectrum, Kerala reports the lowest use of government hospitals for deliveries at just 34.2 percent, followed by Punjab (45.2 percent), Uttarakhand (53.4 percent), Haryana (53.8 percent), and Gujarat (56.1 percent).
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
