New Birthing Experience: Give Birth, Get Paid, Go Home

Capital & Coast DHB's plan to bribe new mothers into leaving Wellington Hospital is a total cop out that will see mothers most in need suffer the greatest, ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy said today.

"By offering mothers a $100 voucher to go home just six hours after giving birth, CCDHB has taken the cheap option - when it should be looking at ways to solve the shortage of beds currently experienced at Wellington Hospital," Mrs Roy said.

"Wellington Hospital has closed six of its 40 maternity beds due to a lack of midwives - while bribing new mums to go home may free up a bed here and there, it will do nothing to solve the long-term issue.

"Rather, it will see mothers - especially those with little support or from lower socio-economic backgrounds - forced to go home early without the chance to benefit from the expertise offered by hospital staff.

"Shunting new mothers out the door with no choice is not providing for the health and well-being of new mums or their babies. This short-sighted plan will not solve the issue it was designed to resolve - not only that, it will set up more problems into the future.

"Short-term bribery to free up already congested beds is never going to solve the long-term problems - CCDHB needs to identify the problems facing Wellington Hospital and make a meaningful attempt to fix them.

"ACT has always promoted choice in healthcare including the option to stay on with their baby, establish breast-feeding and gain expert advice - rather than be shunted out the door with a grocery voucher because the hospital can't provide enough beds to go around," Mrs Roy said.

ENDS

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