Extra maternity care good news for families!
The Kiwi Party
Press Release
May, 20 2009
The Kiwi Party welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Health that additional funding would be provided to allow
women to stay in hospital longer after giving birth. Party Leader Larry Baldock said this would assist mothers and give
babies a much better start in life. “Giving mothers support at the beginning is a step in the right direction,” said Mr
Baldock.
Kiwi Party spokesperson on maternity care, Marj Mulholland, said she was delighted with the news. Marj, who is the
proud grandmother of nine grandsons, stated “I have been appalled with facts and stories coming to me from friends and
young mothers, and have been lobbying for several years to see hospital stays lengthened and post natal care extended.
“Telling new mothers to leave the hospital within four hours of giving birth has been unbelievable and causes
far-reaching problems. This is great news for families in New Zealand. I am very relieved something has been done.”
"What the Kiwi Party would like to see established is full funding for the home visits that used to be provided by
Plunket in the first two years for every child. This used to be so much a part of our New Zealand way of life and needs
to be reinstated. The cost of this could be far outweighed by the savings gained by reducing preventable health problems
that too often occur in the first two years of a child’s life. As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is
better than a pound of cure!”
Ends