TRAINING OF MIDWIVES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 256, 27 September 1945, Page 7

TRAINING OF MIDWIVES

EXTRA INCENTIVE.

(Press Assn.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 26 Speaking to the Nurses and Midwives Bill in the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland) said it was a good measure, which gave effect to Opposition suggestions made in the House last year. Mr M. H. Oram (Nat., Manawatu) asked the Minister of Health if he would consider the provision of more training places for midwives, that was, for nurses who were fully trained in a maternity hospital and who desired to train for additional qualification as midwives. If more were trained, he added, the severe staff shortage and overcrowding in hospitals would be relieved. _ The Minister of Health (Mr Nordmeyer) said some nurses took a maternity course, not because they wanted to do maternity nursing, but because they wished to qualify for a higher salary as ward sisters. This made it difficult for others to obtain training. The position might be met by, a salary scale which allowed an increment to sisters iq recognition of their maternity training only if they were practising in maternity nursing and not if they remained in general nursing. He was aware that many excellent nurses were being denied an opportunity to train for maternity nursing. The department was <now endeavouring to sift the lists of candidates to see that only those who were likely to use their training were admitted to the course. If more training institutions were recognised care would have to be exercised to see that the standards were not lowered. Mr Oram also advocated the recognition of more hospitals as training institutions for nursing aids, but Mr Nordmeyer said there were insufficient trainees offering for the existing vacancies, and it was doubtful if the opening of more hospitals to v trainees would remedy the present shortage. The Bill was put through the remaining stages and passed.