Title: Message
I
would like to see a list of babies dying in medical care. It is awful, but
things do happen. We had a case where a young mum was told it would be
better for her breech baby to born by C/S. The baby died. So C/S need not
'save' the baby. Also, if that's the total number of incidents in that
time frame, then surely the stats aren't too bad. What else was involved in the
cases? Why aren't Drs errors published? Maureen
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FYI, just
when we are hoping for reform here there is this tragic report from NZ.
Barb
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![Pete Hodgson]() |
| Pete
Hodgson |
Hodgson argues against review of
maternity services
20.03.06
4.20pm
Health
Minister Pete Hodgson says a review of maternity services would only
delay improvements being made in the sector.
National Party
health spokesman Tony Royal today renewed his call for an independent
audit of maternity services following a report of another baby's death
being blamed on midwife care.
The parents of the child born at
Auckland's Middlemore Hospital in an emergency caesarean operation were
reportedly told midwives had misread a fetal heart rate monitor.
The child died seven hours after the caesarean.
The case
follows criticism of health workers following reports on the deaths of
three other babies -- two by a coroner and one by Health and Disability
Commissioner Ron Paterson.
The child's parents -- Heather and
Alan Phillips -- are now calling for an inquiry into maternity and
midwifery care.
Mr Ryall said the problem was not going to go
away and Mr Hodgson needed to get the review started so problems could
be fixed.
"Every month there are more frightening incidents
coming to light, and more professional groups calling for change."
Mr Hodgson said a review of maternity services would delay
improvements being developed by professionals.
"It would be easy
for all involved -- including me -- to call for a review and take some
of the political heat out of the maternity issue," he said.
"But
while it would be easy it would also be counter-productive."
The
Health Ministry was talking with professional bodies in maternity
service including midwives, doctors and nurses focusing on improving
services through better coordination between Leader Maternity Care and
hospital services.
"The ministry and the maternity sector are
taking this approach because they know action is needed now -- not after
a drawn-out review process."
Mr Hodgson pointed out that
National MP Paul Hutchison had previously been reported saying he did
not think a review was necessary.
Dr Hutchison told NZPA that he
agreed with Mr Ryall but wanted the Government to act on the 1999
maternity review which he said had been ignored.
"Due to the
increasing concerns about maternity care I would agree with Tony that a
full review is undertaken now -- but great note should be taken of that
report from 1999."
The hospital involved in the latest case is
waiting until the Accident Compensation Corporation has reported its
decision before commenting.
The New Zealand Herald newspaper
reported key failures in the baby's death were midwives' miss-reading of
a fetal heart rate monitor and a fetal blood-acidity test was
unnecessary in the circumstances and wasted time.
A hospital
document described the events surrounding the birth and poor follow-up
with the parents as a "multi-system failure".
Other recent
controversies involving midwife care included the death of a baby in
February 2001 after an undiagnosed breech birth at home, another
undiagnosed breech birth incident in February 2003 and a baby who died
in November 2003 after emergency caesarean and mismanaged labour at
North Shore Hospital.
In Dunedin today a High Court jury was to
be asked to decide whether midwife Jennifer Joan Crawshaw, 44, is guilty
of the manslaughter of a first-pregnancy breech baby born on March 14,
2004.
Meanwhile NZ First MP Barbara Stewart said she knew of
another death but had been asked not to publicise it.
She wanted
to hear what solutions Mr Hodgson proposed and the latest case should
ring alarm bells.
- NZPA
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