From New Year, offers of multicultural support of so-called doulas to women giving birth could come to an end in Oslo, Lørenskog, Trondheim, and Drammen.
The state has provided project support to support the maternal care offer.
According to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), there are now doulas that operate in 16 languages in Norway, and 140 women giving birth since March 2018 have received help before, during, and after birth by a multicultural doula.
The doula assists the mother, in addition to the midwife.
With the experience of giving birth in Norway, she can explain how the Norwegian health service works to minority women.
Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) thinks the hospitals that have the scheme benefitted from it.
Høie: Nice scheme
He believes it is a nice scheme, but now the hospitals and municipalities must take over the bill.
“They have received money from the state to try this out. If they are satisfied, it is their responsibility to take this further,” he said.
Tuva Moflag (AP) in the health and care committee of the Norwegian parliament (Storting), on the other hand, wants to make the scheme permanent.
“Higher risk”
“Minority women have a higher risk of serious complications during childbirth.
“They have a higher risk of stillbirth. They get less pain relief. That’s not how we want it. This is not a project,” she said.
The services in Oslo, Lørenskog, Trondheim, and Drammen will lose state funding from 2021.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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