Fewer maternity wards for giving birth, but more ” security “ et “supervision”despite the shortage of caregivers: a Senate report calls, Wednesday September 11, for “transforming the provision of perinatal care”, facing a “degradation” in France, indicators on the health of mothers and newborns.
After good results at the beginning of the 21st century,e century in terms of perinatal health (from pregnancy to the child’s first birthday), France today has in particular “more deaths of newborns and babies” than many European countries. France is thus placed 22e rank for infant mortality, warns this information report, produced at the request of the parliamentary group in the Senate RDSE (Democratic, Social and European Rally).
“Beyond six months of pregnancy, one in a hundred babies is stillborn or dies in the first week.” and 7% of births are premature, leading to a significant “care load” for the hospital. Physical and psychological complications are also more “frequent” among mothers, notes this document.
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“Fragility” of healthcare provision
Among the causes identified are increasingly late pregnancy, poor health of mothers (obesity, gestational diabetes, poverty, etc.) but also “fragility” of the healthcare provision. The rapporteur, Véronique Guillotin (PR), deplores a lack of intensive care beds, often incomplete care teams, “closures” temporary unplanned situations due to lack of staff, or even increased risks, in the event of complications, in certain establishments.
She notes the decline in the birth rate (-20% since 2010) and the growing demand for childbirth. “less medicalized”estimating the current network “unsuitable” to needs, resources and security requirements.
It’s necessary ” to assume “ on « transformation »not on the basis of the maternity activity threshold as before, but from a “assessment of structures and needs” territorial, she argues. The rapporteur calls for the establishment of a map and specific indicators, to move towards “fewer technical platforms”but to “high level of security”including a “plurality of birth plans”.
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This must be accompanied by a “improving the provision of emergency medical transport”integrating perinatal health professionals, and “strengthening the local offer” for prenatal and postnatal monitoring, she recommends.
The report further recommends that “guarantee the number of professionals (obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatricians, anesthesiologists-resuscitators, midwives) by providing more training” and in “improving the attractiveness of careers”He also advocates a revision of the decrees, dating from 1998, which govern the practices, “to strengthen birth supervision ratios”with a gradual entry into force. Finally, it defends the guarantee, throughout the territory, of a minimum “one neonatal intensive care bed for every 1,000 births”.
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