Better pay for midwives?

Press, 23 June 1983, Page 13

Better pay for midwives?

PA Wellington The Home Birth Association says it will lobby every member of Parliament this year about payment for domiciliary midwives. The newly-elected national president, Mrs Henriette Kemp, said that domiciliary midwives could not afford to attend home births full-time. Even if they had a full case-load in a year they would earn only $BOOO from the maternity services benefit. Mrs Kemp said it was ridiculous having a law saying that every woman had a right to a home birth if the Government did not provide the necessary services. “If every woman who wants one has the right to a home birth the Government also has a responsibility to make sure every woman

who wants one can have one,” she said. In areas such as Wellington, Auckland, and Northland there was a severe shortage of domiciliary midwives because they had been forced out of their jobs as a result of the low pay, said Mrs Kemp. In other areas it was difficult to have a home delivery because of restraints placed on midwives by hospital boards and district health offices. “We feel that domiciliary midwifery is a very valuable and worthy full-time profession which is deserving of the same salary as a hospital midwife,” she said. “We plan to make payments for domiciliary midwives a political issue. We will be lobbying all members of Parliament, both National and Labour.”