Midwifery in South Africa

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XII, Issue 2, 1 April 1919, Page 74

Midwifery in South Africa

We have received a copy of the South African "Nursing Record," of September, 1918. From editorial notes we gather that m that country midwifery training has not advanced to a very high standard. In South Africa, though there has been State Registration of nurses and, we believe, midwives even before (by about a year) it was established m New Zealand, it has not been under separate statutes as m New Zealand, but incorporated m a general Medical or Health Act.

With regard to midwifery, especially, this has led to a subordination of the interests of the women wishing to be properly and satisfactorily trained to the exigencies of the help needed by medical practitioners m this branch of their work. In New Zealand it was at once foreseen by Mrs. Grace Neill, to whom nurses are so much indebted, that if there is an Act for the registration of midwiyes, it is necessary to provide for their training. State Maternity Hospitals were, therefore, established m each of the four centres within the first two years after the Act was passed. Regulations were formed which have since scarcely needed any alteration and which set a high standard of training ; requiring a twelve months' course for women otherwise unqualified, and six months for trained nurses. In both cases twenty cases must be personally delivered and twenty cases nursed by the candidate for registration.

Now we see that the Cape medical Council has reduced the number of cases to be personally conducted from fifteen to five, and the remaining ten to be witnessed only. This is a retrograde step, and although it may partially overcome a present difficulty m obtaining the number of cases for a sufficient number of midwifery pupils to be trained to meet the urgent needs of the country, we maintain that the principle of more gradually turning out a class of well trained women would, m the long run, be better than hastily manufacturing a large number of midwives with very inadequate knowledge of their work,

What- pan a woman Irani from five oases and m six months of training for one utterly ignorant of the most simple rules of nursing. Trained nurses have frequently told us that after their six months and their twenty cases, they feel they are only beginning to learn what midwifery nursing means.

We note that at the meeting of the Cape Medical Council, where this matter was discussed, the question of recognition of the C.M.B. Certificate was brought up, and apparently any certificate from the C.M.B. after examination is recognised. Candidates for the examination of the C.M.B. frequently have had private district tuition only, and have never received any hospital training. We have had experience m this country of the very perfunctory and inadequate training of many midwives holding the C.M.B. Certificate, and we demand that the applicant for registration must produce a certificate or afford proof of hospital training. We have recently had an instance of a fully qualified general nurse from New Zealand, who, after a six months' training m one of our State Maternity Hospitals, and delivering twenty cases, and holding the Government certificate of having passed the State Examination of midwives, was refused registration by the same Medical Council without undergoing the examination of the Council. It has been pointed out by the Registrar of Midwives that this Government certificate, obtained after a much higher standard of training, should be accepted without question, and we hope the matter will be put right and a reciprocal registration be arranged for. Under the New Zealand Act, while seting a higher standard for our own midwives, those who obtain the best training available m their own country are not shut out, and we consider that this liberal spirit should be acknowledged and reciprocated.

Under the Central Midwives Act, Scotland, certificates, such as the New Zealand one, are accepted, and m amendments to the C.M.B. Act, England, the same provision is made,