Good on you Samantha Leary and Barb Vernon for telling the
facts...
Helen Cahill
Midwives doing it tough in Country NSW
Friday, 6 May 2005
Presenter: Samantha Leary
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| Midwives are vital in the
country | |
Thursday the 5th of May was International Midwives
Day...A time to stop and recognise the role played by midwives throughout the
state...And today we find out how they're doing it tough in country areas...
It seems particularly timely that just a few days off from Mothers Day…we
stop to remember the role midwives play in helping women become mothers
themselves…
On this International Day of Midwifery…we also stop to
consider the claim that around a third of all registered midwives are refusing
to practice their profession because of unfavourable conditions…
But
their services have never been in higher demand, particularly in country areas,
where many rural birthing units are closing, forcing some women to give birth on
the street or on the side of the road…as was the case recently in
Nevertire…
So with the Rural Doctor’s Association calling on the state
government to improve the availability of obstetric services in the
bush…
What pressure is this situation placing on rural midwives who are
being forced to pick up the slack?
Dr Barbara Vernon is the Executive
Officer of the Australian College of Midwives, she says there is a national
shortage of midwives, particularly in country areas.
She says a lot of
midwives who work in the country are increasingly frustrated at not being able
to perform the task for which they have been trained. Instead of being able to
work alongside pregnant women and help them through their pregnancy they're
being forced to take on other nursing roles in the hospital because of the lack
of trained nursing staff.
"Midwives are much more satisfied in their jobs
when they're given the chance to build relationships with other women, which is
exactly what they have been trained for"
She also says midwives in rural
areas are also forced to perform tasks that aren't in their job description
because there just isn't anyone else. Funding for midwife positions comes under
the Federal government umbrella so the State Government is reluctant to step
in.
"Many midwives are also highly capable health professionals who don't
need to be supervised by a doctor and they all follow national guidelines...yet
many are not given the recognition they deserve and this leads to far-reaching
job dissatisfaction."
Dr Vernon says another factor is that insurance is
also not available to women who want to practice independantly, forcing them to
work in the health system...
So many are forced into providing care in a
fragmented way and aren't able to build proper relationships with the
women.
She says all of the workforce problems in midwifery could be
solved in the next three years if the training opportunities were
available...unfortunately the funding just isn't there.
She hopes that on
this International Day of Midwifery, more poeple will acknowledge the crucial
role played by midwives across country NSW and throughout the state...
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