A petition proposing alternatives to traditional hospital births is being passed through the community by women who are calling on Government and health insurers for more choice.

Ngadi Kamara, a resident who is leading the petition for the rights of childbearing women, questioned overseas hospital consultants at a forum last week about the effectiveness of facilities available to women at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The issue of alternative birthing was highlighted recently when Sophia Cannonier went public about giving birth in her home.

Mrs. Kamara, who gave birth in May at the hospital, asked consultants from hospital design company Canon about their plans for improving facilities at the maternity ward at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The consultants have been hosting community meetings asking residents to offer their feedback as the hospital Master Estate Plan is developed over the next year. The objective of the plan is to improve the scope of goods and services offered by the hospital.

Mrs. Kamara said she felt the experience in the hospital?s labour ward was uncomfortable and impersonal and the service could have been better. She was surprised to find rooms at the hospital ward were not equipped with baths, only stand-up showers, and that once she had given birth, medical staff provided her with printed material as opposed to practical demonstrations about breast feeding.

She only stayed one night because she felt more comfortable at home with the support of her family.

So far 40 women have signed the petition which will be presented to Health Minister Patrice Minors on November 1.

It calls for women to be able to choose between giving birth in hospital, at home or in a home birthing centre and says all of them should be covered by health insurance.

The petition also asks Government to consider having a midwife-led pregnancy and delivery, also covered by health insurance, a more comfortable setting at the hospital including sleeping facilities for spouses, bath tubs, and an increased number of persons allowed to attend the birth if so desired.

?The petition raises awareness for the demands among women for alternatives ? there?s a sizeable population who really want an alternative to what?s available now with birth treated as a normal condition rather than biological anomaly,? Mrs. Kamara said.

She said costs could be reduced to the hospital through a midwifery programme, but she is also investigating insurance issues associated with women having their birthing choices expanded.

?The infrastructure to manage this is associated with the support from the community and the medical community,? she added. ?Politics might play a role and insurance companies may want to increase the insurance premiums due to the risk, however, research does show that midwife led births actually have a lower risk level than obstetrician-led intervention.?

In the United Kingdom, hospitals have responded to requests from women for a less clinical setting and have developed rooms that looks similar to a hotel room but are fitted with the necessary medical equipment. The room is also used for post-partum care as it provides a more comfortable setting than the traditional style hospital room.

Consultants Ron McIntyre and William Smeltz of hospital design company Canon answered questions during the forum from Mrs. Kamara and members of the public about their plans for the maternity ward.

Mr. Smeltz said consultants are examining the possibility of a home birth centre at the hospital and a midwife-run programme. Mr. Smeltz said the drawbacks to the plan was that the centre could lead to a duplication of staff and additional expense.

Other issues raised at the forum were the possibility of having a rehabilitation centre for stroke and accident victims and medical video conferencing to assist with diagnosis and link-up to expert medical resources and physicians around the world.

Although a significant portion of time was spent devoted to discussing services at KEMH few who attended the forum raised questions about services and facilities at St. Brendan?s Hospital.

One listener said this demonstrated a fear in Bermuda to discuss mental health issues and the necessity to educate people about their outlook on mental health.