Existence of midwives is threatened

Numerous midwives give up their jobs: The profession of midwives is threatened

06.05.2011

The midwives have repeatedly pointed out the difficulties of their profession in recent weeks through protests and strikes. On yesterday's International Midwife Day, obstetricians once again took to the streets of numerous German cities.

Already last year, the German Midwives Association (DHV) had pointed to the significant abuses in the profession of freelance midwives and in an online petition to maintain the near-residential care with midwife help required. More than 180,000 signatories had the petition, but little has happened since then. As part of yesterday's International Midwife Day, midwives attempted to raise awareness of their problems through protests and strikes.

Liability premiums hardly affordable for obstetricians
About 15 percent of the freelance midwives have the press officer of the German Midwives Association, Dr. med. According to Edith Wolber, in 2010 her work as obstetrician was abandoned. The massively increased liability insurance premiums and stagnating remuneration at the same time left the freelance midwives with no choice, according to the verdict of the DHV. Regardless of how much a midwife actually works, a liability insurance premium of € 3,689 per annum is due when working as an obstetrician. On the other hand, according to the chairman of the Midwives Midwives Association, Steffi Kuntze, there is an average remuneration of 7.50 euro net hourly wage for full-time employment. Although many freelance midwives often work over 60 hours a week, so they could theoretically still pay the liability insurance premium, but the burden is disproportionate to the income of midwives, criticized the DHV. The profession of obstetricians is endangered in the current situation as a whole, the association warned.

Responsibility of midwives should be compensated accordingly
Because the only option for freelance midwives to avoid the high insurance contributions, the resignation of the activity as an obstetrician. According to media reports, the liability insurance premiums are reduced by more than 3,000 euros when concentrating on birth preparation and aftercare. However, the profession of obstetricians seems to be threatened with extinction altogether and this, although it is particularly important for expectant mothers to be accompanied at birth by a midwife of their confidence, according to the DHV. However, a reduction in the liability premium is out of the question, according to the General Association of the Insurance Industry, since the premium increases in recent years are due to a massive increase in the costs of medical care. A spokeswoman for the German Insurance Association called indirectly for an increase in remuneration rather than a reduction in liability premiums. The press spokeswoman of the association said that the high responsibility of the midwives should be rewarded accordingly.

Future of the profession of midwives uncertain
Which way the Federal Ministry of Health will end up rescuing the freelance midwives or whether the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) will intervene at all, is so far unclear. Already last year, following the online petition of the DHV, Rösler had promised at a hearing to call a round table with representatives of the health insurance funds and the midwives' association. Since then, little has happened and more and more midwives have stopped working so that DHV's concern about the existence of the entire profession at the end seems justified. (Fp)

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