The National Board of Health and Welfare must draw up a national plan for maternity care.
– Too many children have seen the light of day on heavily trafficked roads, says Energy and Food Minister Ebba Busch (KD).
The National Board of Health and Welfare is now tasked with developing measures and indicators for follow-up. The plan must indicate a clear direction for the development of maternity care and be a support for more strategic and systematic improvement work in the regions. It should also increase accessibility and reduce regional differences. The assignment also includes proposing performance-based measures for the development of care.
The assignment, which is part of the Tidö agreement, includes that the National Board of Health and Welfare must look at various regional initiatives such as midwife-led maternity clinics.
The assignment comes at a time when maternity care is heavily burdened in many areas. In 2022, all regions reported a shortage of midwives. And the shortage is expected to last at least until 2035, according to an assessment from Statistics Norway.