Frontline Health Workers Coalition: Stronger Health Systems Could End Abuse during Childbirth
Rebeccah Bartlett, a nurse and UNC-IntraHealth summer fellow, discusses volunteering in a maternity ward in 2013 in the Philippines, where “[w]hat troubled me most was the way the women were treated.” She recounts verbal and physical mistreatment of patients, as well as unsanitary medical conditions and practices. She states, “…In addition to greater support and investment in the health system and workforce, health workers need strong role models. They need colleagues who not only demonstrate compassionate care in their own work but who demand accountability when women are mistreated under their watch. Respectful maternity care is everyone’s responsibility…” (7/17).