Campaign Blog - 15 October

15 October

On the campaign trail in Auckland yesterday I revealed the measures National will take to provide a better standard of care to pregnant women, new mothers and their babies.

I believe Labour hasn't done a good job over the last nine years with maternity care, which is in something of a crisis.

I want to see better maternity services that give safe and high-quality care to pregnant women, young mothers, and their babies.

We not only have to make the most of existing resources, but we also have to invest more, which is what our policy proposes.

One of the most important things we can do is provide some more funding so mothers are not forced to go home a few hours after birth.

This is a particularly important time for mothers, their newborn children, and their families, and new mothers shouldn't have to feel forced into going home before they are ready.

We will also ensure that every new mother and baby will have weekly contact with a health professional for the first nine weeks after birth.

Something I was particularly proud to announce yesterday was our commitment to reversing Labour's cancelled funding of PlunketLine.

This means that parents will now have access to a 24-hour Plunket service.

We've also recognised the workforce crisis in midwifery with our plan to offer a voluntary bonding scheme. This will mean that new midwives who agree to work in hard-to-staff areas for three to five years after graduation get student loan writeoffs.

We believe that this will help improve the dire staffing situation in some areas.

John Key

John Key

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