Report to the People
4th April 2005
Infant Mortality
The revelation, contained in the latest
figures from the Registrar General, that Inverclyde has the highest rate of
stillbirths and perinatal deaths in Scotland is profoundly alarming – as is
the news that the numbers are rising.
Similarly
worrying is that rates of neonatal and infant deaths are now between double and
two and a half times the national average.
As
a matter of urgency, the reasons behind these unacceptable mortality rates must
be examined and, more importantly, addressed.
And, in doing so, the first question to ask is, “If the numbers have
increased in the last year, what has changed in that time?”.
The
most obvious change, of course, has been the implementation of the Health
Board’s re-organisation of maternity and paediatric services, despite our
concerns over safety. Indeed, after
being approached privately by worried NHS staff last September, I asked the
Board whether the year since consultant-led services were centralised at Paisley
had seen the number of local women giving birth to still-born babies rising or
falling. Perhaps now I know why
they gave me a less than illuminating answer.
It
would be irresponsible, though, to jump to conclusions.
Even with a consultant-led maternity unit, our mortality rates were
unenviable. We need to be certain
of what lies at the root of this disturbing trend – which is precisely why I
have made representations to the Health Minister and tabled a motion in the
Parliament, demanding an investigation by the Health Department and NHS Argyll
and Clyde.
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