"Give us a chance" maternity staff

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 293, 4 July 1989, Page 1

"Give us a chance" maternity staff

Waiouru's Maternity Annex closed last Friday, with opinion still divided on whether the replacement service will be better or worse.

At a special service, conducted be camp Padre Ken Baker, Waiouru Action Committee spokesperson Suzanne Simmons-Kopa upset maternity service staff by stating that the group would continue to fight for the decision to be overtumed, and that the Wanganui Area Health Board had made a "massive, dreadful mistake" and that people were "sad, scared and uncertain". About 50 people attended the service, including staff, action committee representatives, Waiouru residents, District Community Health Services manager Ruth Jensen and a Television One crew. Later in the day WAHB representatives and staff Rob England, Margot Mains, Bob

Davies and Betty Bourke visited staff at the annex. Community Midwife Libby Tuthill said Simmons-Kopa's statement was unfair and dangerous, in that it could put unneeessary fear in people's minds. She asked why the group could not give the new service a chance to prove itself before condeming it. Simmons-Kopa had asked "why can't Waiouru women have the right to have their babies where they want too." She said the group has taken its case to the Ombudsman's office and to Army headquarters and that they had been told they were wrong and that Waiouru people would get a better service, but that they totally disagreed.

Better service Mrs Tuthill insists the new service, which has been running in

part up until the closure, will provide a better, more broadly based care.

She said it would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As Turn page 2

Waiouru maternity

From page 1 well as herself there is one permanent reliever, one casual reliever and possibly a fourth available to run the service. Mrs Tuthill said when the annex was open she had sometimes worked long hours, with no problems. She cited one time when she worked over 17 hours, slept for eight hours, then worked another 17 hours and if that were necessary at times under the new service, it wouldn't be a problem. Ruth Jensen, WAHB Manager of district community health services said the care offered will be much broader than before. She said the staff would be able to offer postand ante-natal care and home care, which wasn't available before. Asked about the recent road closures due to bad weather, she said it was the first time that Waiouru had been shut off in ten years, and that she had been advised by the Ministry of Transport that the roads were passable to emergency vehicles. She said with the annex open two thirds of Waiouru women were leaving the area to give birth, but staying away for post-nataT care as well. Now those women would be able to retum home after giving birth. She said some were forced to go straight from base hospital to home, where previously

they received no home care. As well as refusing to accept the annex closure the Action Committee are concerned at the WAHB's plans to convert Taihape and Waimarino hospitals to rural health, care cen-

tres, though there has been no mention of cutting maternity beds. Unless there are complications Waiouru mothers have the choice of going to either Waimarino or Taihape hospital to have their babies.