MATERNAL CASES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 103, 2 May 1924, Page 7

MATERNAL CASES

INCREASED. CARE URGED

STATEMENT BY MINISTER, OF

HEALTH.

i "For some time," stated the Minister 6: Health', Sir M. Pomare, yesterday.. " "if has been known to our shame that, despite many advantages, climatic, social, and economic,.this country labours under the stigma of a comparativelyhigh maternal mortality rate.;' In proportion to its | population,: more-women-die as. the reV suit of childbirth in this country than in: many,other countries that have not -...' the" advantages we. possess. ■ The- following- table shows * the posi-. ; .tion clearly :— . ; "s MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES. '■■'■ ■■-..-■ Maternal ' Country ..and Year. Rate... Denmark. 1921 ....._ .20 Netherlands. The, 1921 .... 2:3 ■' S;weden. 19i7:- 25 •• Italy, 1917 ........... ..-.'. 3.0 . .Norway.. 1917 .'. 3.0 ■ . V.Uruguay.. 1920 .....'..,.:.' ■3.4'- , Japan." 1921 :......';.'. 3.6 • 'England and' Wales ............... .3.9 .."Union of "South Africa, 1919 ... 3.9' - v. Hungary, 1915 40 , Fihlan-i.' 1918 =-..' ;;....:...-/.... 4.4 ' ', Australia,. 1921 .......'.........; 4.7; '.Germany. 1918 '.........;........T;.. 4.9 ...New. Zealand, ,1923 ; 5.1 ' .Spain, 1915j ;..::. ....:, 5.2 '; Ireland. 1920 .:..'.. -. .;' 5.5 . Switzerland, 1915 '...:.;.... 5.5. .■:' : France, 1914 „.•..........; 5.7 . Scotland,: 1919 "/.....:..'"6'.2 ':. . . U.S. Birth Registration Area,' ' : • ■1923 ....:. 6.8 : ,Belgium,: 1919 7.2 . Chile, 1920 .: ..„:.' 7.5 /:. ' A COMPARISON; , .' "Again"; while New Zealand is justly proud of the lowest, infant mortality": y ■ rate in the" world, a close inspection-of '■ '. .the figures shows' that there is still much.. * ' I "to be done,;and that New Zealand is ' even far behind other countries in cer- ■; tain spheres ', of infant welfare ""work, i TlTe reduction iii the infant mortality , rate in New Zealand ' has been wholly' _- I due to the saving of infant life after the " r -aga of one month, an accomplishment." -. largely due to the excellent work direct- , I ed by Dr. Truby King. The death rate. . of infants under one month is this couri- ' : try is 29 per 10C0 live births, and has ■ - r shown practically no reduction since. ! 1907, Avheri, the rate was 30 per ICCO. t In a: recent report from the Municipal.-..' t Health Service of Amsterdam it is shown ~ 5 that the death rate of infants under one ' l yenr in that city is as low as 50 per. , 1000 births, as against 42 per ICOQ (in i 1922) in New Zealand. So far this is : ) f j satisfactory;, -.■■; but when it is noted that.'v the death rate of infants under one • month is as low as 13 per 1000 births in Amsterdam, as against 27 per 10CO births in 1922, and 29 per iOOO births in 1923, - in-New Zealand, it gives one pause/*". ■'.',■_.

: Still births, continues Dr. Pornare, the rate for .which for the year 1923 was 32 per" 10(X>: live births (higher than any year previously recorded), are closely allied with the death rate under one month. The problem concerns the medical and nursing professions primarily, and, the remedy would appear to rest with them rather than with the Department of Health.

"At present," says tHe Minister, "one. third of all births takes place in hospitals',' and with this -class of patient this is accompanied -by serious tusks to the mother unless'the standard.of equipment"'1, arid the efficiency'• of the institution are of a very high order. Unfortunately, if. must be admitted that in some' cases private hospitals do not attain this stan-" dard, for the reason, that the capital cost.involved is beyond the means of the licensee. Many hospital boards hay tablished in connection with their public hospitals maternity wards, or separate maternity institutions, which are doing ■ excellent work. The standard and equipment of these institutions leave nothing', to be desired. The Department will, as opportunity offers, continue to urge hospital boards to extend the facilities available in this way for the care and attention of maternal cases. The Department is ' also considering other means of dealing with;the situation, but in the meantime the facts are such as to call for considerable searching, of heart on the part of the public generally, and more particularly on the part of medical and nursing professions. " The Department does, not wish in any way to avoid its own responsibilities. It admits that as -regards a fraction of the maternal .deaths, viz., 'those due' to puerperal sepsis,_ 'which represented approximately one-third of the-total maternal death's, in 1923,: it must accept at least a "share " of the responsibilito, but any further, saving of'mothers -or 'infants' under one month would appear to rest rather with the public and the medical aud nursing professions." ■'."..