MATERNAL MORTALITY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 79, 27 December 1928, Page 8

MATERNAL MORTALITY

INCREASED EFFORTS BY DEPARTMENT

Dominion Special Service. Auckland, December 26.

“It should be clearly understood that there is to be acceleration of the Health Department’s efforts rather than any slackening off in the direction of reducing the maternal mortality rate in New Zealand,” said the Minister of Health (Hon. A. J. Stallworthy), in an interview this morning. The Minister said that certain remarks made on Saturday morning when he received a deputation relating to accommodation at St. Helens Hospital appeared to have been misconstrued.

“I fully realise that the rate of three deaths per thousand in New Zealand cannot be regarded as the minimum, and on assuming office I had my mind made up to leave nothing undone to accelerate the activities of the Health Department to reduce our Dominion maternal mortality rate substantially,” said Mr. Stallworthy. “My predecessor, Mr. J. A. Young, declared this year that the Department would not be satisfied until the rate had been brought down to three deaths per thousand births. I want people to understand that my objective will be even lower than that There will be no relaxation of the efforts of the Department, and I think future statistics will reflect a policy of even more.intensive concentration upon the reduction of the death rate than has been the case in the past.”