Labour epidurals in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Extreme inequity in analgesia and peri‐operative management of pregnant patients

“…Different cultural and religious backgrounds may impact the perception and management of pain during birth, limiting access to epidural analgesia [16]. Over 30 years later, there remain profound disparities in its use throughout the world [16] with areas in South Africa and Southern India having only 6% [17] and 11% [18] epidural rates, respectively. This is in contrast with Australia, where 42% of women receive an epidural for pain relief in labour; however, there are also disparities seen here, with only 22% of First Nations people receiving any pain relief in labour at all [19].…”