Midwife tells of ‘waste of money’

Press, 31 July 1989, Page 9

Midwife tells of ‘waste of money’

By

Deborah McPherson

Savings in health services could be made if midwives’ skills were better used, said the president of the New Zealand College of Midwives, Ms Karen Guilliland, yesterday. Paying both doctors and midwives to attend normal deliveries at public maternity hospitals was a waste of money said Ms Guilliland. The 1987 Schedule of Fees showed that the Government paid doctors an average of $617 each through the General Medical Service benefit. “That includes about 12 ante natal visits, the delivery and post

natal visits for the mother and child,” said Ms Guilliland. “The doctor gets paid $245 whether he is at the delivery or not, but the midwives usually do all the work during the labour, because the doctor cannot be there for the whole time.” “We are not saying doctors are overpaid, but both midwives and doctors are trained in normal birth procedures. “Both would refer abnormal births to a specialist — the obstetrician — so it seems a waste of money to have both being at normal deliveries in public hospitals. ” The money saved in paying doctors could be used to establish

midwivery-run maternity services, Ms Guilliland 'said. Legislative changes to the Nurses’ Act was needed to reinstate midwives as practitioners in their own right, she said. At the moment it was an offence for anyone other than doctors to take responsibility for delivering babies. Leglisative changes would pave the way for the effective reorganisation of maternity services and help change public attitudes towards birth, Ms Guilliland said.

Midwives attending a national meeting in Christchurch on Sat-

urday had been concerned at the manner in which health cuts were being made by area health boards throughout New Zealand, she said.

Midwives were not necessarily opposed to maternity hospitals closing as long as women could still be assured of quality service.

“Midwives as practitioners in normal childbirth have much to offer women and could produce a better quality service for less money,” she said. Midwives in Canterbury and West Coast were preparing a submission to the Canterbury Area Health Board outling some of their options for saving money.