The pandemic exacerbates the shortage of midwives: – – Simply a crisis

A recent survey by the Midwives Association shows that there is more activity than usual in Norwegian maternity wards. The survey shows huge shortcomings, which have worsened in recent years. Fewer resources for escort services, higher work pressure and more sick leave.

– The pandemic has intensified an already busy workday, with infected employees and quarantined employees. There has also been an increase in job pressure, says leader Hanne Charlotte Schjeldrup-Eriksen of the NSF Midwives Association.

On Tuesday, the association will have a meeting with both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health to discuss challenges in the midwifery service.

High pressure

Like intensive care units, and also other parts of the Norwegian healthcare sector that rely on expertise from abroad, there has been an almost temporary stoppage for midwives in the pandemic, increasing the pressure even further.

The Office of the Auditor General declared a year ago that the shortage of midwives in Norway was a threat to the safety of patients.

– She never managed to hold her newborn child

– Therefore, we think that now we should be allocated more money in the state budget. We didn’t get it and we are hugely disappointed that there are no priority funds to strengthen maternity care and more midwives.

– It’s just a midwifery crisis, and my stomach hurts from midwives.

The NSF survey also shows that there has been a decline in the number of trained midwives, even though the demand among nurses who want to continue their education is great.

Fewer graduates

Norway’s six educational institutions offering additional education from nursing to the midwifery profession train about 100 midwives a year, but it is estimated that at least 200 new midwives are needed a year to cope with the shortage. The changes made to the Biotechnology Law alone require at least 50 new midwives a year, according to the report from the Norwegian Health Directorate, says Schjelderup.

Pregnant woman with health anxiety frightened by letter of appointment for routine exam

However, even though nurses are online to continue their education, the number of new graduates fell from 131 in 2018 to 88 over the past year.

– We can’t have it that way. It is simply a matter of funding and prioritizing the government. Midwives quit and prefer to work, for example, in home nursing.

– It’s just the pressure.

Also in higher education to obtain the proficiency to perform ultrasound, duplication is needed.

– Scary and exciting

The escort service at the breaking point

According to Schjelderup, the escort service, an imposed offer that companies must have for those who have a long way to the hospital, is also at a breaking point.

– The escort service is about to collapse in many parts of the country. In Trøndelag, for example, municipal midwives are ordered to go to the St. Olav’s maternity ward in Trondheim, to ensure a vital and safe functioning there.

– This despite the fact that companies have been assigned a boat to execute this vital service. Instead, the money goes down the great drain of the health trusts.

The Storting had previously commissioned Health Minister Bent Høie to map the monitoring service in Norwegian municipalities.

– But health trusts say they follow up, although practice shows that it has not been done. However, the task has been closed because there have been comments that are not correct.

– On the contrary, the escort service is considerably reduced. There is a serious critical shortage of midwives in the specialized health service. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary with funds allocated for 100 educational positions for midwives to be able to guarantee maternity care that can withstand today’s challenges, says Schjelderup.

Danish alarm: – No more to give

– You followed the report.

Secretary of State Anne Grethe Erlandsen at the Health Ministry tells Dagbladet that maternity hospitals must have working conditions that lay the foundation for the hiring and retention of doctors, midwives and other groups of staff.

– We hear from midwives in women’s clinics talking about increased work pressure, and that is why last year we commissioned the Norwegian Health Directorate to set up a working group to analyze changes in the complexity of maternity care and what it means for staff and the funding system, she says.

Research and Higher Education Minister Henrik Asheim writes to Dagbladet

In March, the management received the result, which shows a higher proportion of patients at risk among those who give birth and which places new demands on the competence and resources of maternity institutions.

– We have followed up on the report with clear management signals for the regional health authorities and the Norwegian Health Directorate. The fact that we have followed the report amid the corona pandemic shows that we are prioritizing this, says Erlandsen.

Regarding the mapping of the accompaniment services in the municipalities, Erlandsen says that he assumes that the mapping of the regional health authorities gives a real picture of the situation.

– The escort service is important for the safety of pregnant women with a long trip. In some places there has been a lack of escort service, and that is not good enough. Clear guidance has been provided to hospitals to launch a follow-up service in the allocation document for 2020.

– working to death

Strengthening of health education

Research and Higher Education Minister Henrik Asheim writes in an email to Dagbladet that the government strengthened health and social science education with 1,100 places in the revised state budget beginning in the fall.

– Of these, 200 went to higher education in skilled nursing, including midwifery training. These places of study will continue in the state budget for next year, which means they can also accept a new group of students next fall, says Asheim.

– We have not pointed out which higher education these places will go to, because universities and colleges must see this in relation to access to internships and their own capacity.