Hon Simeon Brown
Minister of Health

Community midwives will now be funded to deliver antenatal immunisations to pregnant women, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced today.

“Community midwives play a vital role in protecting maternal and infant health,” Mr Brown says.

“Protecting pregnant women and their babies from vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough is critically important. Offering antenatal vaccines through community midwives provides expectant mothers with a convenient and trusted option, helping to ensure both mother and baby are protected during pregnancy and in the early months of life.”

Under this new funding, community midwives can now claim payments for administering selected vaccines to pregnant women in their care.

“Empowering midwives means more families can choose where they receive their immunisations – removing barriers to access and helping protect more mothers and babies from the serious complications of preventable illnesses.”

The initiative is a key part of the Government’s response to the national whooping cough epidemic, which has seen more than 2,600 cases nationwide. Nearly half of all infant cases have required hospital care, an outcome that can often be prevented with immunisation during pregnancy and timely infant vaccinations.

“When pregnant women receive these vaccines, they are not only protecting themselves but also helping to protect their babies before they are able to begin their own immunisations at six weeks of age.

“Midwives hold a uniquely trusted position with families. By making vaccines easier to access, we are helping to protect mothers, safeguard newborns, and reduce the toll of serious, preventable diseases across New Zealand,” Mr Brown says.

This initiative is being delivered through a partnership between Health New Zealand and the Midwifery and Maternity Providers Organisation (MMPO).

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