The Medical Association yesterday locked horns with Health Minister Annette King over the reasons behind the mass withdrawal of doctors from maternity services.
Mrs King told the College of Midwives conference in Dunedin yesterday that no Government could force general practitioners out of maternity services and it was not policy to
do so.
Instead, the Government was reacting to the trend over the past decade of doctors leaving of their own accord, by making provisions to ensure quality service for women.
Reaction to her speech was swift. Association chairman John Adams said that while successive Governments might not have forcibly removed doctors from the service, "neither have successive Governments done anything to encourage GPs to stay".
After her speech, Mrs King said she did not accept the blame for the number of GPs leaving that had been directed at the Government over maternity funding changes.
"It gets down to money," she said. "We are paying the same money for the same service, no matter who it is provided by."
Midwives were not complaining, she added. Her concern was having sufficient high-quality professionals to continue the high standard of care in New Zealand.
She was confident changes to maternity funding would result in professionals being paid appropriately for excellent care.
Dr Adams said his association had long warned Governments that the proposed funding changes would result in doctors leaving. The alterations set up a "competitive environment between midwives and doctors", when collaboration should be encouraged.
Simply, doctors were medically trained and midwives were not, he said, and the changes pointed to medical input into maternity care not being encouraged or valued.
"Doctors feel that their contribution to maternity care is being marginalised."
- NZPA
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