Mothers Not Guinea Pigs' At St Helens

Northern Advocate, 29 August 1947, Page 6

Mothers Not Guinea Pigs' At St Helens

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. IN the House of Representatives today Mr W. T. Anderton (G —Auckland Central) asked the Minister of Health if her attention had been drawn to a report published this morning attributing to Mr H. F. Toogood, chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board, the statement that women were reluctant to go to St Helens hospitals to act as guinea pigs for midwives in training.

Mr Anderton asked the Minister to ensure that the most expert and painless treatment was provided by competent obstetricians.

All patients of existing St Helens homes were examined ante-natallv 1 -• obstetricians and when the obstetric* ian’s attendance at the confinement was thought desirable, this was done. The staff of obstetric specialists was also on call for any emergency. The excellent record of St Helens institutions refuted the suggestion that the service in them was in any way inferior to that available elsewhere. The Government’s policy was to staff St Helens hospitals with the most highly-qualified obstetric specialists, and when new hospitals were completed a doctor would be available at all hours of the day and night, and would attend all confinements.

Miss Howard described the remark attributed to Mr Toogood as “entirely misleading and pernicious.”

It was the recognised requirement of the training of both midwives and medical practitioners that they should undertake a specified number of deliveries, always, of course, under expert supervision.

Most mothers recognised that it was in their interests that training should be maintained on a high plane. This high level could not be assured in St Helens homes if the patients were permitted to have their own practitioners in attendance.