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Current AffairsPrague court delivers landmark ruling in home births advocates’ battle with the state
A ruling on Thursday by a Prague court might lead to a breakthrough in the
ongoing Czech debate about home births. While state officials and health
care providers have consistently opposed the practice over safety concerns,
the court decided that mothers indeed have the right to choose the place of
their child’s delivery, and the state has to provide all necessary
assistance. More
Current AffairsHome births back in spotlight as group of pregnant women take their case to European Court of Human Rights
A woman's right to give birth at home is back in the spotlight in the Czech
Republic, as a group of pregnant women intend to file a complaint at the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Czech state makes planned
home births virtually impossible; there are midwives qualified to deliver
babies at home, but they lack official registration and insurance companies
won't cover them. More
Current AffairsIs the Czech baby boom over and did it ever happen?
In recent years the media, including Radio Prague, repeatedly reported
about the Czech Republic experiencing a baby boom. It seemed obvious:
statisticians reported increasing birth figures, maternity hospitals were
bursting at the seams and mothers had to register months ahead of their
delivery to secure a place. So is the baby boom now over and in fact –
did it ever happen? More
Current AffairsHome births under fire as court case highlights family tragedy
The issue of giving birth at home once again came to the fore this week
after the country's most senior midwife was found guilty of criminal
negligence after overseeing a botched home birth in Prague. A baby boy was
left severely brain damaged after being deprived of oxygen, and later died.
The midwife denies any wrongdoing, and says the complications were
unforeseen and unavoidable. More
Current AffairsExpectant mothers scramble to register at hospitals as health crisis looms
As the government struggles to find a solution to a looming crisis in the
health sector, hospitals around the country are bracing for the worst. Over
3,800 doctors have handed in their notice in protest against low wages and
as of March, when the resignations take effect, many state hospitals and
clinics may find themselves in big trouble – to the point of being unable
to provide acute care. One of the worst affected areas is said to be the
field of pre-and-post-natal care and expectant mothers are scrambling to
register at hospitals where they will be sure to get medical attention.
Radio Prague spoke to dr. Petr Velebil head of pre-natal care at Prague’s
Podolí hospital – one of the country’s largest specialized centers for
pre and post natal care- to find out just how badly they may be hit. More
Current AffairsHome births on trial after boy left with brain damage in botched delivery
Home births are currently under the spotlight in the Czech Republic; a
trial began in Prague last week involving the chairwoman of the country’s
Union of Midwives. Ivana Königsmarková, one of the very few Czech midwives
qualified to deliver babies at home, faces up to four years in prison after
overseeing a botched delivery that left a baby boy severely brain damaged.
She denies any wrongdoing. More
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