OBSTETRICAL SERVICES

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25610, 27 September 1948, Page 6

OBSTETRICAL SERVICES

“ £10,000,000 IN NORTH ISLAND”

DR. GORDON’S COMMENT

(P.A.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept. 26. “For the last 25 years maternity building schemes have been the Cinderella of all Government activities and it is about time mothers rode on the golden coach,” said Dr. Doris Gordon, former director of Maternal and Infant Welfare, commenting at Stratford on the report on maternity services presented by the Minister; of Health (Miss M B. Howard), in the House of Representatives. “The general public, of all shades of opinion, will support rhe Minister in her effort to get an equitable, quick and economic maternity buildings programme,” said Dr. Gordon. The major anomaly was that maternity work within hospital board institutions had never been subject to the strict rules governing maternity care in private institutions. When she assumed office in 1946, she was amazed to be told that the Health Department, which represented the central Government, could not interfere with the administration of a hospital board, which was a local government unto itself. An ever-in-creasing volume of maternity work had descended on the boards, many of which faced acute accommodation problems. The majority of boards had .done their best, but had at times been asked to make bricks without straw, for the Government had not granted them sufficient funds to render an adequate and safe maternity service. The public could be reassured, Dr. Gordon said, that in annexes that functioned as maternity nurse training schools, a high standard of technique was followed and was strictly controlled by the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Registration Board. A danger arose when abnormal cases and such normal cases as had to Joe transferred during peak periods were sent to general medical and surgical wards. An important item in the recommendations of the conference, said Dr. Gordon, was lhat the Minister recognised an advisory obstetrical council. As the Minister was faced with the problem of securing and then allocating some £10,000.000 for maternity building in the North Island alone before it could be said that safe and adequate accommodation for maternity cases had been provided, it would be sound statesmanship to have the backing of such an independent council. At a low computation of building costs at £3OOO a bed. £10.000,000 for the North Island would be all too little.