MOTHERS AND BABIES NEED HELP

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 13889, 18 October 1945, Page 2

MOTHERS AND BABIES NEED HELP

Sir, —While realising the need for adequate post-graduate trainingfacilities for doctors in obstetrics, the executive of the New Zealand Registered Nurses’ Association takes a very grave view of this development since, in its opinion it offers a threat to the standards of midwifery nursing service in New Zealand. The standards of midwifery in this country are high, and the maternal and infant statistics are good and much of the credit is due to the system of training and supervision of midwives.

For some time past there has been a serious shortage of midwives in New Zealand and there are approximately 50 0 positions in the nursing profession for which midwifery qualifications are necessary; for example, private and public maternity hospitals, public health nursing, country district nursing and the tropical nursing service. During recent years many small private maternity hospitals have been closed through lack of staff or because there was not a qualified person available to take them over. This has further embarrassed the problem of maternity accommodation. The present training facilities permit 64 midwives a year to qualify, and it is estimated that 100, at least, are necessary to meet requirements and to allow loss through marriage, change of occupation, etc. St. Helen’s hospitals at Auckland and Invercargill have together trained 30 midwives annually and IS maternity nurses. The Minister told the N.Z.R.N.A. representatives that it was intended to enlarge St, Helen’s hospitals at Wellington and Christchurch to the capacity of the present four St. Helen’s hospitals. Even this will not give the required of midwives and, though plans ' are made to close two training schools, as far as is known no plans are yet

made for the proposed enlargement of the other two. Generally speaking the medical profession is inclined to the opinion that midwifery training for nurses is not essential, that maternity training is enough and the case material now used for the training of midwives would be better used in the training of doctors. But nurses who are practising midwifery know their work to be of national importance —an efficient midwifery and infant welfare service is the basis of any national health policy. The doctor attends the patient for the confinement, but it is the midwife who gives her help and confidence during the ante-natal period, during labour and during tbe first weeks of motherhood. A healthy mother and thriving baby are the result chiefly of expert and conscientious nursing care.- —We are, etc., N.Z. REGISTERED NURSES’ ASSN., TAURANGA BRANCH. ,