Poland says no to pain-free childbirth

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Poland says no to pain-free childbirth

– Reported, June 05, 2013

Kopacz, in response to the letter of the Polish Gynecological Society, which on behalf of women appealed to the Ministry to refund anesthetization, said that the state budget cannot afford to ensure free anesthetization during childbirth to all Polish women. “Childbirth is a pure physiological process and we, women, were created by nature in such a way as to run certain things in their natural way, therefore to have childbirth run in its natural way with no medicine and anesthetization,” said the Minister. According to Kopacz, if anesthetization were provided for free, then hospitals would have to ensure that the services of anesthesiologists are guaranteed for female patients to a much broader extent than it is currently. And there are not enough anesthesiologists in Poland.

“We appeal to the Ministry of Health not to pull back Polish medicine to the nineteenth century and to take into account that anesthetization during childbirth has been recognized as a standard procedure for many years now in the whole Europe,” said Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, former Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

She underlined her disappointment in Kopacz’s words, because these “difficult words addressed to women” have been expressed by “a minister, a woman, and a doctor.”

“There have been many declarations stating that we have to do much more in order to make Poles decide more easily to have children, to encourage Polish women to have more children and now, what we are hearing is that they have to rely on the forces of nature,” Kluzik-Rostkowska claimed. According to her, Kopacz’s statement about lack of funds for anesthetization, as well as lack of anesthesiologists during childbirth, constitute “a sufficient argument for women to make it more difficult for them to decide about having a child.”

During a discussion following the Ministry’s declaration, advocates suggested that the Minister should be doing everything possible to ensure an adequate level of medical care, in order to guarantee that childbirth with anesthetization and with assistance of anesthesiologists, according to the standards of the twenty-first century, may take place at the hospital. The Minister seems to be forgetting the European standards she so often refers to when discussing other aspects of healthcare. In Western European countries, as well as in Poland’s neighboring countries, childbirth anesthetization is considered a standard service provided to women. The question becomes, then, why do Polish women have to pay for it? This situation divides the Polish women into two groups: those who can afford to pay for anesthetization and those who cannot afford to pay for something to which they are entitled.

Resistance to pain depends inherently on personal features, and there are women who simply cannot imagine themselves experiencing childbirth in a natural way. That fear can cause negative consequences to the woman’s physical health and therefore may endanger the security of a child, say experts of the Polish Gynecological Society. According to female MPs, the Minister should take all the necessary efforts to make such a process a safe and non-threatening experience for women and ensure access to anesthetization is refunded from the National Health Fund for all women in need.

The Ministry of Health prepared an official response to the article published in “Dziennik.” Her response states that anaesthetization when instructed by a doctor is and will be financed from public funds. It is for a doctor to decide on the mode of delivery and potential use of anesthetization. The scope of services, including procedures used (anesthetization, cesarean section), depend on the health status of the patient, and the process of her pregnancy and delivery.

The Ministry also mentions a committee that will prepare health standards on childbirth and related issues. The committee’s purpose is to draft a legal act describing standards of medical procedures during pregnancy and delivery. Services resulting from the standards prepared will be financed from public funds. Completion of the committee’s work is closely connected with the works of the Polish Gynecological Society experts’ team, acting independently and preparing recommendations related to medical procedures during childbirth.

The declarations of the Ministry of Health offer some hope that Poland may develop more precise and clear standards related to pregnancy and childbirth in particular. Information that Polish women have been given in the last few weeks have resulted in a state of uncertainty and fear, and those feelings are least welcome when planning a family or when already pregnant. It appears that the Polish Ministry of Health easily makes statements or disseminates information, but unfortunately does not take into consideration the consequences of these statements or information on the general public, and women especially. I do hope we will not have a chance to experience any more “interesting” solutions and the three times rule will not be applied here.

CREDITS.

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