Midwife shortage in Waikato remains
The Waikato midwife shortage remains a problem, though a crisis at Christmas was avoided.
The shortage was first raised in May last year and interim plans were put in place by Waikato Hospital and the New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCM) to compensate for it.
Although the festive season sees midwives traditionally scarce on the ground, Christmas 2017 was particularly bad because hundreds of self-employed midwives had exited the profession or left to work at hospitals because of ‘‘unsustainable’’ working conditions, the New Zealand College of Midwives chief executive Karen Guilliland said, adding underfunding exacerbated the issue.
Waikato community midwife Christina Campbell agreed the shortage continues.
She said 30 to 40 midwives left the industry in 2017.
‘‘For over 10 years, we have just not been remunerated adequately, and so it has just become really tough to run as a business, to sustain ourselves – there’s a lot of burn-out happening.’’
But the issue is not just affecting the Waikato – Auckland and rural areas are also suffering.
‘‘The midwife shortages in the Waikato region are part of a national shortage, the reasons for which must be addressed urgently by the new government . . . the college is heartened that the new Government has decided to enter negotiations to ensure pay equity for mental health support workers, which, like midwifery, is a mainly female workforce.
‘‘The college began fighting for pay equity for midwives three years ago when we began court action under the previous Government.
‘‘This action led to an agreement between the college and the Ministry of Health to design a new funding model for communitybased [LMC] midwives.’’
Guilliland said the college has presented its recommendations to the ministry’s leadership team and the new Minister of Health.
Meanwhile, Waikato Hospital women’s health services regained its obstetrics and gynaecology training accreditation.
The DHB was stripped of its accreditation in December 2015 after failing to meet three of seven standards set by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).