Midwives tell PM of workloads
Community midwives say they are working longer and harder during the lockdown but are ‘‘once again bottom of the heap’’ for financial assistance from the Government.
Ka¯ piti midwife Andrea Sarty and New Zealand College of Midwives Wellington deputy chair, midwife Sarah Gilbertson, have written an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern venting frustration over the sector’s unresolved pay equity claim in play since 2015.
Gilbertson said midwives had watched as other sectors have received financial assistance during the pandemic but midwives were continually forgotten about despite being an essential service.
Some midwives even had to fork out for their own Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as DHBs faced lengthy waits in receiving it for staff.
Gilbertson said with ongoing demand and increasing workloads, midwives often couldn’t wait. This was particularly difficult as other frontline health workers, like pharmacists, were supplied PPE.
With Plunket not operating in the community during the lockdown, midwives were also picking up some of their work, Gilbertson said.
Sarty said women were anxious about pregnancy at the best of times and the Covid-19 lockdown had only increased their stress, making life busy for midwives.
‘‘There’s been people who have been more nervous (since Covid-19) and need more reassurance and babies still need checking and weighing,’’ she said.
Sarty said some PPE had been provided by the DHB but it took such a long time to arrive that some midwives had ‘‘rapidly’’ sourced their own or were gifted equipment by ‘‘concerned’’ members of the community. She estimated the cost of PPE was $350 to $400 per midwife.
The letter addressed to the prime minister stated that communitybased midwives were key frontline essential service providers, and they were working harder than ever.
‘‘An already stretched and demoralised service continues on without even a whiff of assurance from Cabinet that this year’s Budget will actually deliver a funding model that addresses the very real and welldocumented pay equity concerns,’’ the letter stated.
Gilbertson said midwives had become angry knowing other professions had received funding, while midwives had received none.
‘‘For the last four to five weeks midwives have been working longer and harder and they’ve incurred significant extra costs, having to carry out essential work, continue with face to face consultations, filling the gaps that other services can’t visit, and fielding lots of phone calls.’’
Gilbertson said there were no illfeelings towards other health services that had received funding but she reiterated that midwives had once again been left at the bottom of the heap.
Gilbertson said the letter had been sent to the prime minister yesterday morning but she and Sarty were yet to receive an acknowledgment.