The Medical Board and Trained Midwives

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XVI, Issue 1, 1 January 1923, Page 12

The Medical Board and Trained Midwives

A resolution carried at the last meeting of the Medical Board on 13th December, is of interest to trained midwives : — "That with a view to the reduction of maternal mortality, this Board recommends medical practitioners to use every endeavour to ensure that their midwifery cases shall be attended by registered midwives wherever practicable. " It is hoped that this recommendation will bear good fruit. Unfortunately it is frequently the case that unqualified women attend many midwifery cases, even m towns where qualified women are available, and doctors have made no special effort to induce their patients to make proper arrangements with a trained midwifery nurse. In this country few of the trained registered midwives exercise their legal privilege of attending mormal cases without a doctor. They are afraid that doing so will alienate the members of the medical profession, who will not be willing to work with them and help them m cases which are abnormal. Surely this

fear cannot be well grounded, although it is certainly true that many medical practitioners, especially those who have only recently started practice, depend greatly on their midwifery work. In the Old Country many women carry on a midwifery practice. In fact, the work is more m their hands than m these of the doctors. To truly help the less well-to-do it is certainly better for them to have a well trained midwifery nurse, with the option of calling m a doctor if needed, a nurse who, as she has not the number of outside calls, will remain for hours with her patient and give her the necessary nursing attention, than to have a doctor who, hurried by the exigencies of his general practice, makes a few short visits and frequently is absent when the actual delivery takes place and yet receives the fee as if he had been present. It is certainly more conducive to the comfort of the patient to have the nurse m attendance when the medical aid is not needed.