Midwives complain about increasing workload

Three quarters of midwives complain of work crowding

06/21/2014

According to a survey of their professional association, three-quarters of the midwives working in Germany complain about an increasing workload. There is less and less time to care for women during childbirth. From next month, they would also have to expect less money.

Midwives are burdened with non-professional activities
According to a survey by the German Midwives Association (DHV), three quarters of the midwives working in Germany complain about the increasing work density. There is less and less time in hospitals to care for women during childbirth, even eight out of ten midwives in the survey have found fault with the results „Southwest Press“ (Saturday). 60 percent of respondents are therefore burdened with non-occupational activities such as caring or cleaning. Susanne Steppat, board member of the DHV, showed up „shocked at how high the suffering in the clinics is now.“

Most work part-time or on a mini-job basis
Just under a quarter of the approximately 8,500 midwives and maternity nurses in the approximately 400 hospitals with obstetrics departments nationwide participated in the survey. Thus, three out of four midwives work part-time or on a mini-job basis. As the newspaper reported, this was usually a voluntary decision. Accordingly, many women take over the care of mothers and babies at home on a freelance basis. Midwives have been on the streets several times in recent months to demand better working conditions.

Midwives feel threatened in their existence
Low wages and very high liability insurance premiums make midwives feel threatened. Most recently, the dispute over the increasing liability premiums between midwives associations and the Central Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) had come to a head. Cash registers and associations could not agree on a cost compensation for the starting from July this year on 5,091 euro rising premiums. An agreement is urgent, since after 1 July an earlier agreed surcharge expires. Midwives would then have to expect less money. (Ad)

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