N.Z. Maternity Services Compared Favourably

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29326, 4 October 1960, Page 2

N.Z. Maternity Services Compared Favourably

New Zealand maternity services are more progressive than in Canada and patients in maternity hospitals in New Zealand are given better treatment, according to Mrs Shirley Cotton, who has returned to Christchurch after a year in Edmonton, Canada, where her husband was an exchange teacher. After a three-month maternity course, Mts Cotton spent the rest bf the year nursing in a city maternity hospital.

Husbands were barred from labour wards and from case wards, said Mrs Cotton yesterday. “Since about 30 babies a day were born at the hospital, the staff could not cope with 30 fathers as well,” she said. Natural childbirth was rare. “Only about a dozen women tried natural childbirth in the 10 months that I was there,” she said. One doctor at the hospital practised hypnosis methods. But the great majority of women gave birth to their children under anaesthetic. This was because of the extremely young age bf the mothers—the usual for having a first baby was about 15 or 16. Mrs Cotton noticed that it was usually the older mother—about 21 or 22—who wanted natural childbirth. Rooming-In Rooming-in was frowned on, again because of the youthfulness of the mothers. While in hospital they were given instructions and demonstrations on how to wash and cane for their babies, but had little handling of them themselves. A lack of trained midwives meant that babies were not normally born at home. But careful medical checking of hospital staff prevented infection. “We had no H-bug scare in Canada,” said Mrs Cotton. Feeding was usually to a schedule, but tended to vary with the instructions of individual doctor®. “Each patient would have her own doctor, usually from one of the large city clinics. The nurses spend all their time in the mornings escorting hordes of doctors to their patients,” said Mrs Cotton. ’■ Free Services Five days was the usual length of a patient’s stay in hospital, except for complicated cases. “Maternity services are free for a period of seven days in Alberta, although all other hospital treatment must be paid for,’’ said Mrs Cotton. Overcrowding was another major reason for the short stay. Edmonton was an oil town, with immigrants pouring in every day. The hospital where she nursed was built six years ago, but was already too small, . • The propoiftion of nurses to patients was mbeh lower than it was In New Zealand. Trained nurses were greatly in demand in Canada, rile said. Girls doing nursing training had ".to have parental support, as they received only about £5 a month. But once they were trained, the starting salary was about £BO a month.

“Compared with the cost of living, however, it is not so very much more than New Zealand

Royal Overseas League—A group of professional Dutch singers, the “Valerian Chorale," entertained the Christchurch branch of the Royal Overseas League in the Overseas League rooms last evening, when about 60 attended. Under the conductorship of Mr George O’Gorman, who was also the accompanist, the group sang folk songs, carols, and choruses. Vocal solos were given, by Mr T. van Irael, piano solos by Mr O'Gorman, and a recital on a Spanish concert guitar by Mr Geoff Edmonds. Mrs L. R. de Roo presided.

nurses get.” Since registered nurses were so scarce, most of the practical nursing was done by nurse-aids, leaving to the nurses mainly supervisory and administrative work. The nurse-aids had to be handled with care, or else they would leave. As a result, they were usually very undisciplined, and the patients receive less nursing than they did in New Zealand, Mrs Cotton said.