Initiating the conversation on improving maternity care and outcomes for whānau.
The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (3 Day Postnatal Stay) Amendment Bill (the Bill), currently before New Zealand’s Parliament, is intended to address the needs of women and improve outcomes for māmā, pēpi and whānau. If passed, it would give all birthing parents in Aotearoa New Zealand the right to remain in a postnatal facility for a minimum of three days (72 hours) after giving birth, unless they choose to leave earlier.
TV has provided feedback on the Bill via both a written submission and oral testimony and appreciates the intent of the Bill to support women and whānau in the early period after birth. However, the College expressed a lack of confidence that entitlement to longer postnatal stays will improve outcomes for mothers and babies, without a more nuanced and individualised needs-based approach.
With maternity services in New Zealand already stretched both in terms of workforce and facilities, an increased provision of postnatal care will require additional staffing and facilities, necessitating additional investment and long-term planning to achieve. RANZCOG has concerns that resources will be diverted from other areas of maternity services, resulting in significant risk of negative outcomes for mothers and babies, if the Bill is introduced without investment in additional maternity facility capacity and workforce.
It is crucial to address broader maternity system and capacity challenges before considering a three-day postnatal stay, for example, the urgent investment required in antenatal ultrasound, which is chronically underfunded to the extent that many women cannot access scans to manage a range of prenatal health issues.
TV submissions
from RANZCOG President, Dr Gillian Gibson, and Vice President, Dr Susan Fleming.
provided by RANZCOG Aotearoa New Zealand Committee Deputy Chair, Dr Diana Ackerman.
For media enquiries
Bec McPhee
Head of Advocacy & Communications
bmcphee@ranzcog.edu.au
+61 413 258 166
