If you plan on having babies I would suggest you get busy. Now that the US government has its sites on taking over health care here in the US, there’s a good chance that in a few years conditions here will be similar to those in the UK. And it isn’t pretty.
Additionally, overstretched maternity units shut their doors to any more women in labour on 553 occasions last year.
Babies were born in offices, lifts, toilets and a caravan, according to the Freedom of Information data for 2007 and 2008 from 117 out of 147 trusts which provide maternity services.
One woman gave birth in a lift while being transferred to a labour ward from A&E while another gave birth in a corridor, said East Cheshire NHS Trust.
Others said women had to give birth on the wards – rather than in their own maternity room – because the delivery suites were full.
Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley, who obtained the figures, said Labour had cut maternity beds by 2,340, or 22 per cent, since 1997. At the same time birth rates have been rising sharply – up 20 per cent in some areas.
Mr Lansley said: ‘New mothers should not be being put through the trauma of having to give birth in such inappropriate places.
They routinely use midwives rather than obstetricians, and there’s even a midwife shortage.
‘Labour have let down mothers by cutting the number of maternity beds and by shutting down maternity units.’
The NHS employs the equivalent of around 25,000 full-time midwives in England, but the Government has promised to recruit 3,400 more.
However, the Royal College of Midwives estimates at least 5,000 more are needed to provide the quality of service pledged in the Government’s blueprint for maternity services, Maternity Matters.
At the same time almost half of all midwives are set to retire in the next decade.
Follow the link above or click here to read the story of the woman who was turned away from a hospital while in labor. The poor thing ended up giving birth in the car. Thank God for that family there were no complications.
Thank Goodness that I live in the UK, with one of the best health services in the world, that is free to the point of use, and doesn’t turn anyone in need away – unlike the uninsuired in the US. Thank goodness I live in the UK where we dont have the Goebbels like torture of Fox news and their commentators (it isn’t news its right wing propaganda), that would make the Nazi party look ‘socalist’ in many areas.
I pity the US, as it has never had the chance to adopt social democratic parties and policies.
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Great advice, will take on board!
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