– There are probably many people who are afraid of having more children. And I know that myself, too. That if we’re going to have more, we have to plan that it won’t happen while the hospital here is closed. Mariell Silvik Andersen reacts to the fact that Helgeland Hospital will double the time they are closed in the summer for births. She herself comes from Herøy municipality on the Helgeland coast, and has experienced what it can be like when the nearest open maternity ward is far away. And she is not alone. A total of 338 unplanned births outside an institution were reported in 2021, figures from the medical birth register show. Most occurred during transport. Mariell’s birth in the ambulance boat at the quay in Nesna was one of them. Had no opportunity to move because the maternity ward at the hospital in Sandnessjøen was closed for the summer. And the child wanted out. Thus the midwife who was on escort duty on board gave a clear message: “Mariell, you will give birth on board the boat”. Shortly afterwards, little William was born on board. – It was very cramped, no opportunity to move, I was lying on the stretcher the whole time. We were probably both a bit in shock. After the birth, they were transferred to a car and driven off to the open maternity ward in Mo i Rana. They arrived there at 04 in the morning. – We were lucky that the midwife was there. If we hadn’t had her with us, it would have been scarier. – Did it go well after all? – Yes, but then it’s what you put in that goes well. The kids they survive yes. But that’s only until they don’t. That something serious is actually happening. I’m afraid of that, I think it’s just a matter of time. There have been many battles to maintain good food services in recent years. here the Bunads guerrillas meet the previous health minister, Bent Høie. Photo: Kari Skeie / news Struggling with staffing The two maternity wards on Helgeland, in Sandnessjøen and Mo i Rana, have for several years alternated being open because it is difficult to get enough staffing in the summer. Eight weeks has been the norm. But now it looks like the summer in Helgeland will be unusually long. For 16 weeks, the two hospitals with maternity wards will alternate being closed. For the board meeting on Wednesday 26 October, the administration proposes that the summer closure should be extended to apply to almost a third of the year. Maternity wards in other healthcare facilities have also taken turns closing in the summer, to major protests from both professionals and women giving birth. However, 16 weeks of summer closure seems to be something new. Lack of gynecologists and midwives The background for the summer closure is a lack of gynecologists and midwives, not just in Helgeland, according to the board papers. Helgeland has relatively few births in relation to the consumption of personnel and there are good transport conditions in the summer, it says. They also write that the experience from the past 13 years with maternity wards being closed alternately for 8 weeks is that “there has not been an increased frequency of unfortunate events with serious consequences”. An estimated 70–90 children are born in an 8-week summer in Helgeland. By extending the period, Helgeland Hospital will save NOK 3.2 million more than they did last summer. – It is important to us that there is no insecurity around these matters. Helgelandssykehuset is now carrying out investigations to find good solutions for those giving birth. Our task is to provide a good and safe offer to all patients in Helgelands hospital throughout the year with the resources we have at our disposal. That’s what Hanne Frøyshov writes in an email. She is acting managing director at Helgelandssykehuset. Hanne Frøyshov. Const. admin., director Helgelandssykehuset Photo: Helgelandssykehuset Midwives are worried – We look at this with concern. Birth in transport is much more risky than giving birth in a hospital. That’s what Maria Elvetun says. She is the midwife who came on board the ambulance boat when Mariell gave birth. – This is a woman who lives on an island and could actually have given birth at Sandnessjøen hospital if we had been open. The mother was fine and the child was fine, but it is an undesirable event and should not happen. Stewards in both trade unions for midwives have been briefed on the matter. She says the professionals are desperate. She is certain that there will be more transport births if Helgeland Hospital is to “close for the summer” for 4 months. – They don’t have figures on how many people give birth soon after they enter a maternity ward. They are stuck for hours strapped into a boat, helicopter, car for hours and are scared, it is not optimal. It is not good maternity care. The mayors: – We are very concerned All the mayors in the municipalities in Helgeland are very critical of what Helgeland Hospital is now planning. – The proposal to increase the period for closure worries us greatly, they write in an open letter to the board of the Helgelands hospital. Reduced maternity services affect a vulnerable patient group in a large area, they point out. – In reality, there is talk of a sharp reduction in completely basic health services for a large part of the year. It is particularly critical for those residents who already have a long journey to the nearest place of birth. Bunadsgeriljaen: – It is a dangerous policy In Bunadsgeriljaen, which was established in 2019, they are upset that the hospital now wants to increase the summer closure of the maternity wards to 16 weeks. – There are no other emergency services that close a third of the year. It is dangerous health policy. It is dangerous district politics. The board must stop this, says Line Rønning Føsker in Bunadsgeriljaen. Line Rønning Føsker in the Bunadsgeriljaen Photo: Helge Lyngmoe / news Don’t you understand that the Helgeland hospital has to save money? – It is the hospital’s job to ensure health care for everyone. There are no other emergency departments that close for part of the year. A birth is urgent and unpredictable, and a boat or car cannot replace proximity to the hospital. The women feel that it has gone well as luck. In many small communities, increased distance to good healthcare facilities creates strong emotions. The nearest delivery room was closed when Anette Rishaug went through a dramatic birth.
ttn-69
Mariell (26) had to give birth to her boy in an ambulance boat – now the hospital will have a summer closure for 16 weeks – news Nordland
