MATERNAL DEATH RATE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1924, Page 1

MATERNAL DEATH RATE

Tin-: src.;ousted cause

WELLINGTON, Aug. 13

Sir Alaui Pomare, -Minister of Health, made some frank critical statements to the House to-day at the end of a discussion initiated by Labour members on the report of the recent commission which investigated the cause of several deaths in an Auckland maternity hospital. One point made by critic's was that the Health Department, which had been cunclein.ned by the commission had inaugurated a campaign regarding the high maternity death-rate. lt> was inm-ding, said Mr Savage, to kiii.iv whose scalp they wore alter. Sir Maui l’omaro replied that Pahour members seemed to deplore that a campaign lad been started to reduce tiie high death-rate in maternity eases.

Air Savage: We deplore that you didn’t start sooner.

The .Minister suggested that critics should he glad a start had been made, seeing that New /calami stood eighth highest on the world’s list for muter* nity death-rates. Air Mart ram: Denmark is the lies I of the lot. Sir Alaui Puma re: Does the honourable gentliMiian know, why? Air Savage: llccauso it is a Socialist (tovernnient. (Laughter). d lie Minister retorted that lie was unaware that governments had anything to do with the subject. 11 Milt,” he continued, "I do know that in Denmark the- mothers are left serenely alone and that the natural course takes place more readily and they have mid-wives instead of undue interference' by medical men. Probably—l am almost certain—that is the reason why their death-rate is the lowest ill the world, ll is undue interference, as I have said before and say it again, though I have lieen taken to task, hut it makes no dill'erenee because I know it is the truth ami it is borne out l.v our statistics.

Air Savage: Thai is not praising the medical men.

Sir Alaui Puma re: That does not matter. All medical men differ sometimes, to the detriment ol the patient. Laughter). Sir Alaui added that some members seemed too prom* to decry everything i;i their own country—everything was rotten, the Government the rottcliest in He world (a Labour member, "Hear, hear”), hut the New Zealand Health Department stood second to none in the world in regard to its administration ol public health, and ils example had been followed by many countries, including the much-vaunted (.tileenslamP The result was that New Zealand had the lowest general deathlate in tin- world.