Story here in the UK Daily Mail. (H/T ECM)
Excerpt:
I started working as a midwife in Basildon in 1995. I left to work as an independent midwife in January last year because I simply could not bear to let any more women down.
During a typical 12-hour shift, I could be the sole midwife in charge of six women in the antenatal ward – some in early labour – or one of two qualified midwives running a postnatal ward with up to 32 women.
If I was in the delivery unit, I would assist in the births of up to three babies a shift.
Obviously, if there was a crisis during a woman’s labour – such as a sudden need for an emergency Caesarean – there was always a surgical team on call, and there would be an anaesthetist available to administer epidurals and so on.
But in terms of the normal care through labour, that was all down to the midwives.
Although we were under huge stress even back in 1995, current cutbacks mean fewer and fewer midwives are caring for more and more women.
No wonder new mothers are encouraged to leave hospital just hours after giving birth.
When I started in the mid-Nineties, there were 35,000 midwives working in Britain. A year or two ago, that number had fallen to 25,000, more than half of whom were part-time.
What a mess! Here is my previous story about 4000 NHS patients denied hospital beds to give birth to children.
More NHS horror stories linked here.
Health care podcasts from the libertarian Cato Institute
I listened to these and thought they were filled with interesting details about the effects of Obamacare.
Now may be a good time to call your representatives in Washington and tell them not to pass the health care reform bill.
Be effective and influential:
WINTERY KNIGHT 