Natural birth takes centre stage at new midwife-led hospital in Cape Town

A “five star” hospital punted as trailblazing the face of midwifery is opening in Cape Town in May.

The Origin Family-Centred Maternity Hospital is in Panorama‚ Parow. It aims to facilitate low-risk natural birthing methods.

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“Midwives are a dying breed in South Africa. Unfortunately many of the good ones have gone overseas‚ but we are particularly fortunate to have got back from overseas – especially the Middle East – some wonderful‚ highly skilled midwives. We will make 100% sure that the values that Florence Nightingale instilled into the profession of nursing and nursing science will be maintained in our hospital‚” says Chief Operations Officer of Origin‚ Sydney Grové.

Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Howard Manyonga‚ accredited facilitator for risk management for the Professional Protection Society and member of the independent Clinical Governance Committee of Origin‚ said: “All of my life I have been learning from midwives‚ and the Clinical Governance Committee will ensure that Origin has a just culture and gives patients the care that they deserve. Origin is a trailblazer in the industry.”

Nursing consultant Lydia Botha‚ also a member of Origin’s Clinical Governance Committee‚ stressed the crucial role of midwives‚ saying: “It has been shown that women who have access to midwives experience fewer pre-term births‚ less intervention in labour‚ shorter hospital stays‚ breast feed more often and for longer‚ and are more likely to use contraception and to space their families. Extending this partnership to all pregnant women would save millions of lives each year.

"If all women delivered with a midwife in a facility capable of providing basic emergency care‚ is it estimated that 56% of maternal‚ foetal‚ and newborn deaths could be prevented.”

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Grové said Origin has received its Department of Health licence‚ and been given the green light by the independent Clinical Governance Committee to open its doors as soon as the Board of Healthcare Funders inspection is complete. Opening is set for late May 2016.

Late last year‚ a report by UN agencies and the World Bank said that 303‚000 women had died as a result of complications during pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth in the year‚ down from 532‚000 in 1990.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for two out of every three deaths in the world. “But that represents a major improvement: Sub-Saharan Africa saw nearly 45% fewer maternal deaths” over the period‚ the report said.

Executive director of the UN Population Fund Dr Babatunde Osotimehin told AFP: “Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress‚ or will fall behind‚ over the next 15 years if we don’t improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills.”