NURSES FOR THE BACK-BLOCKS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 112, 3 July 1911, Page 3

NURSES FOR THE BACK-BLOCKS

At the Hospitals Conference in Wellington on Thursday Ihst Mr Stewart (the Bay of Islands representative) introduced a discussion on the Maternity Nurse’ and Midwives Act, 190!. He said that in his district there was urgent need for providing better facilities for nursing and medical attendance in maternity cases. He was not one of those who thought that tiie disaster of a declining birthrate could he averted by providing special funds and so forth to encourage "women to face the inconvenience of maternity, but lie did think that they should do what they could in affording expectant -■"others every reasonable assistance. The thirteen registered midwives in Ins district were’ not trained in their art, hut were admitted when the Act of 190-1 came into force. One woman who employed a. Maori woman to attend her said she would do so again rather than trust’herself to the one registered, but untrained, midwife, in her neighbourhood. He had nothing to say against these raidwives, but he thought the time had come when the hospital authorities should see that their districts were supplied with sufficient trained women for the needs of the settlors. How Nurses for the Buck blocks TWO could this he brought about? In the first, place they had to afford additional facilities for the training of midwives. Secondly, they had to afford inducements to trained women to settle in the country districts. He moved : “That with a view to offering ■relief to settlors of the outlying districts and also to facilitate tiie training df 1 nultern'ity hurs- . es this conference -considets 1 it advisable that maternity wards be attached to the country hosuitals.” : ; Dr Valintine said that lie had pursued tiie policy of his ; predecessor when he first took office, in objcctinig to maternity cases being taken into the general hospitals. But he had reason to see that he had made a mistake in this. In 1904 the Midwives Act, referred, to above, was passed, whereby unqualified women could, after a certain period of .experience, register as midwives. But now these untrained but excellent, women .were dying out, and the numbers available wore growing less and less . In consequence it was necessary for thorn to find means of training women. St. Helen’s Hospital existed for that purpose, but, although St. Helen’s Hospital was started by Mr Seddon for training midwives for the country districts, the nurses trained there did not go buck to the places from which they were brought to be trained, but remained in the towns.' Consequently they wished hospital hoar,ds to recommend likely women for the purpose, and they would be trained free at the St. Helen’s Hospital, provided the candidates would give ; ai) , undertaking to return to the districts from which they were sefit. j In support of the resolution, one or two delegates recounted ‘instances of the dangers and suffering incurred in the hackblocks. . . ; , The motion was carried.