More Salaried Midwives The high maternity death-rate is attributable to
more causes than one, but amongst them, so far as the poor are concerned, is the inadequacy of the service of mid- wives. Most of them are under-paid and over-worked, and some of them are not fully qualified. The Joint Council of Midwifery has issued a report in which it urges the necessity of establishing a salaried service of midwives. Only qualified persons should attend mater- nity cases, and it is suggested that it should be incumbent on the local authority either to provide midwives to attend the poor or to aid voluntary organizations which under- take the duty. It is essential that there should be enough midwives, that they should be highly skilled, that they should not be over-worked, and that they should be better paid than most of them are today. The report is an authoritative one which the Ministry of Health cannot neglect.
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