Helping Mothers.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2786, 27 September 1910, Page 3

Helping Mothers.

Wellington, Sent. M

The Hospital and Olwtiul 1- Jo-titu-tions Amendment Bill, hri»u«bt down by Governor's Menage, id another of the policy measures of the Government. It provilles that it shall be lh« duty of every Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to supply to a married woman the sit vices of a registered medical practitioner or of a registered midwife at the birth of a«:hildand for fourteen days after. This does not include nursing. The attendance so provided for is to b i supplied at the residence of the woman, unless in the opinion of the Board it can ta more conveniently supplied in any institution belonging to the Board or else*her-. Application for such attendance must lie made not less than h month before the date of tho birth, accompanied by a fee of JBI, and by a statutory declaration that the combined incomes of the husband and *ife during the previous twelve months did not exceed £2OO.

All expenditure so incurred by Board will catry double the rate cf sub sidy prescribed at prepent fir levies from contiibuting local bodies in respect of expenditure other than capital expenditure. The Bill also provides that where under the terms of the Midwives Act a midwife is re quired to obtain the assistance of a medical practitioner, she shall noc be liable for the fees, which must be paid by the patient herself. If, however, the medical practitioner is called in by a midwife, who was engaged by the Board under these new proposals, tho medical practitioner may recover his fees from the Board. Further, the Bill confers on a Hospital and Charitable Aid Board the control of infectious diseases —' S. Times '