RANZCOG statement about Health Select Committee inquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse
Statement can be attributed to Dr Ian Page, Chair of the New Zealand Committee of The Royal Australian and New Zealand
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).
“The New Zealand Committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
congratulates the Health Select Committee inquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse on its
thorough report. We support its recommendations and particularly hope that the government implements the recommendations
about maternity care and family planning in their entirety.
In particular, we strongly support the recommendation that the Ministry of Health require DHBs to set a key performance
indicator requiring the majority of pregnant women to be booked in for antenatal assessment by 10 weeks gestation. Early
engagement means pregnant women are able to review and modify risk factors if they wish with the guidance of their
health care provider. This means health outcomes can potentially be improved for mothers and their babies. This
recommendation confirms that of the National Maternity Monitoring Group in its 2013 Annual report.
The committee’s focus on improving nutrition prior to and during pregnancy as one pathway for addressing the obesity
epidemic highlights the need for high quality research in New Zealand about how best to intervene during pregnancy to
create positive health outcomes for mothers and babies. New Zealand has a unique multi-cultural environment, so it is
important to find out what is effective in our country.
Consistent with the findings from the recent ‘External review of maternity care in the Counties Manukau District’, this
inquiry also highlights problems with access to timely and affordable contraception for many New Zealand women. The New
Zealand Committee of RANZCOG believes that all women in New Zealand should have access to a range of contraceptive
methods (including long-acting, reversible contraception) without waiting weeks for an appointment. Unfortunately in
many parts of the country this isn’t the case and women do not have timely access to affordable family planning
services.”
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