Paperbark and pinard: A historical account of maternity care in one remote Australian Aboriginal town.

CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of Western maternity care colonised Aboriginal birth practices and midwifery practice. Historical population statistics suggest that access to local Western maternity care may have contributed to a significant population increase. Despite population growth and higher demand for maternity services, local maternity services declined significantly. The rationale for removing childbirth services from the community was never explicitly addressed in any known written policy directive. Declining maternity services led to the de-skilling of many Aboriginal health workers and the significant community loss of future career pathways for Aboriginal midwives. This has contributed to the current status quo, with very few female Aboriginal health workers actively providing remote maternity care. PMID: 26170085 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Women Birth - Category: Midwifery Authors: Tags: Women Birth Source Type: research