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The rising cost of living means more and more women are turning down maternity care because they can’t afford the personal contribution, midwives and maternity nurses told Parool. Professional associations want the personal contribution to be removed so that this vital form of postnatal care remains available to all.
For families without additional insurance, the personal maternity contribution is €4.70 per hour. “If people take the minimum amount of 24 hours of maternity care, it costs them more than €100,” Lucien Backer of Maternity Care Collabrotation Amsterdam, which brings together 16 maternity care organisations, told the newspaper.
“It’s too much for people with financial problems, we hear during our interviews with pregnant women. This causes a lot of stress, especially for women in vulnerable situations. And those are exactly the people who benefit the most from maternity care,” said Backer.
Jock Klinkert, director of KNOV, the professional association of midwives, also expressed concern. “We have seen for years that vulnerable families see personal contribution as an obstacle to motherhood. Of course, with all the rising costs that are weighing on people, this is under even more pressure. As a result, the people who are most vulnerable are missing out on this care – and it is much needed.”
In June, KNOV, the Dutch Patient Federation and the professional association of gynecologists NVOG sent a letter to parliament demanding that the personal contribution for maternity care be abolished. Having a baby is already expensive because of baby equipment and diapers, and new parents often earn less while on parental leave. In addition, parents have to spend €175 for the NIPT test, a possible €450 for an outpatient birth and up to €202 for maternity care.
“There is no personal contribution to the necessary care,” KNOV said. And maternity care is absolutely necessary care.
The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, has not yet responded to this call.
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