korero

Capital and Coast District Health Board has backed down on its plan to offer mothers $100 supermarket vouchers to leave hospital within six hours of giving birth.
Board chief executive Margot Mains said mothers would still be encouraged to go home directly from the delivery suite, without being admitted to a post-natal ward, if mother and baby were clinically safe. But she had reversed a decision to offer the women $100 supermarket voucher to do so. The hospital came up with the strategy to cover the period from December to January, to deal with a serious shortage of midwives in the region.
Oh I know, they could always pay them (the midwives) well and treat them well too. That may have a beneficial effect.

I was listening to the radio this morning when I heard some absolute idiot claim that Capital Coast Health is not trying to bribe the poor by giving them $100 to leave the maternity hospital after only 6 hours after giving birth.
On what planet is this the way to look after new mums in hospital? They say they are lacking in terms of staff to look after the new mum and her baby. A woman, due to have her second child in January, said she was appalled to be told second-time mothers would be discharged directly
from the delivery suite after normal births. "My midwife was horrified. This is treating women like numbers, that is if you push your baby out quick enough, here's your $100 reward."
Time to do something about that. Wouldn't you say?