St. Helen's Maternity Service Not Up-to-date

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 October 1947, Page 6

St. Helen's Maternity Service Not Up-to-date

OPINION OF BMA. AND OBSTETRICAL SOCIETY

(PJL) Wellington, Oct. 1 The contention that the St. Helens maternity hospital system was not up to date was advanced today in a joint statement by the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association and the New’ Zealand Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society.

“It has always been th e opinion of the two bodies that the best maternity service is one in which a competent doctor is actually present at all confinements, and not merely on call for emergency cases, as obtains in St. Helens hospitals.” says the statement. “Modern maternity attendance calls for even more than the primary essential of aseptic care. Th e actual presence of a qualified medical practitioner at a confinement makes possible certain refinements in delivery practice that a midwife alone is not in a position to use. The presence of a doctor ensures more satisfactory measures of pain relief, and it is an additional safeguard in meeting sudden and unsuspected emergencies which occasionally endanger the mother of the child.” The statement was issued in support of the attitude of the Wellington Hospital Board, which objected strongly to the Government's proposal to erect an additional 100 closed maternity beds on the St. Helens system and abolish the existing ’'open” matenity annexe at the Wellington Hospital. “It is the opinion of the society,” continued the statement, “that the great majority of women desire the attendance of a doctor of their own choosing, and one who has supervised their case throughout. The value of intimate and personal service cannot be over-emphasised.

“At the present time St. Helens hospitals are operating mainly on a basis of midwife attendance at a confinement only with expert obstetrical staff on call in case of emergency. This staff would b G the first to admit there are occasional inevitable delays in answering calls which do not occur in personally attended case s for which proper provision can be made in advance.

“Preference for open hospitals is shown clearly by the lesser demand for beds at St. Helen s hospitals in the last seven years. The demand by expectant mothers for open beds has been so great that in some case s they have been unable to obtain them, and have been diverted at the last moment to St. Helens.

“It was greatly regretted that the Minister of Health (Miss Howard* refused to permit doctor attendance for these cases when approached by the Wellington Hospital Board.” The Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society had grave misgivings in regard to th c . future of public maternity hospital provision in the four main centres, particularly in Wellington and Christchurch. It denied a suggestion that “closed” hospitals were necessary for the training of midwives —an opinion which seemed to be held only by the Health Department—and pointed out that the medical teaching staff had not at any time been consulted on this point. “It is the hope of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society that the Government’s intention in this respect will be abandoned,” concludes the statement.

“The council of the B.M.A. i s strongly of opinion that expansion of the closed maternity hospital system would be a retrograde step. Public interest can be served only by extending the proven facilities of public and private hospitals, which allow' prosoective mothers personal medical attention during the difficult days of childbirth.”