CLOSING OF MATERNITY HOMES

Chronicle (Levin), 7 June 1946, Page 3

CLOSING OF MATERNITY HOMES

minister's reply , WELLINGTON, June 5. , Kefeniug to remarks of I)t. A. M. ; Hartnell, of Christchurch, concerniug the closing' of certaiu private materixity j hospitals, the Miuister of Health, Hon. j A. H. Nordmever, said: "1 find it difii- j cult to believe Dr. Hartuell is correetly reported, partieularly wlien he states niateruity hospitals are closing down because of the Health Department 's demands wliicli tliey cauuot meet. Equally it is difiicult to uiiderstand his reference to the demands of the Health Department for the installation , of appliances wliich nurses do not know how to use. The Department of Health would be very glad if Dr. Hartnell will give speciiic instances where closure has resulted from the Department is unreasonable requirements or wliere equipDient has been demanded wliich nurses do not know- how to use." The -Miuister said the m'aiu factor causing niateruity hospitals to "close wus the extreuie dilliculty of obtainihg suhicient nurses, more partieularly sutticient domestic stalf. ln addition several licensees had retired on account of age. No midwives had been forthcoming to take over their hospitals. Eor tliis the Health Department was in no wav responsible. The Department 's sole concern was to safeguard the health and wellbeing of uiothers in j cliildbirth. lu this objective it could claini to have been reasonablv successful. Strict coutrol of private hospitals by the Department went back no further than L927 wlien the death rate from chiklbed fever was 2.01 per 1000 live births. lu tliat 'year 50 women died from that cause. In 1944 with a far greater number of total births, the ilumber of deaths from chiklbed fever I had been reduced to 3. That is a death rate of .24 per 1000 live births. If the same rate had persisted since 1927 deaths from this cause in 1944 would have been 04. The steady lowering of the puerperal sepsis rate had resulted j in saving the lives of over 300 mothers who could have been expected to clie if the conditions attending cliildbirth had : not improved. ' "The wliole of this improvement is ; not, of course, (lue to strict control of private hospitals but a large propori lion of it is. It' the Department were to allov understaftitig and overcrowdiug of private niateruity hospitals, conditions iu the hospitals would rapidly: j deteriorate. The safety of the expect- : ant mothers entering private hospitals ! would be jeopardised. Wherever suf- | licieat private niateruity hospital beds are not available it becomes the direct ; respousibility of a hospital board to make the neeessary provision. Iu manv ease.s hospital boards have taken over I private hospitals and are runniug them as satisfactory and safe institutions. ! The Department has no desire to put private hospitals out of business- but is i vitally coucerued to ensure every private hospital inaiutaius eertaiii niiuimum standards of staffi and equipment."