On Tuesday came the final decision to The ABC clinic at Ullevål Hospital is to be closed down. The reason for the closure is that Oslo University Hospital (OUS) must tighten up and cut costs equivalent to 30 man-years.
The clinic has special expertise in natural births after 25 years in operation, but from 4 March this year its doors will be closed for good.
It is something that does not sit well with several celebrities, who have themselves used the clinic.
The decision has caused major reactions on social media, and among those reacting are celebrity doctor Kaveh Rashidi (34) and entrepreneur Isabelle Ringnes (34).
– Cheapest solution
Father-of-two Kaveh Rashidi and his girlfriend chose natural childbirth at the ABC clinic two times out of two. For them, it was important to have comprehensive care with pregnancy checks, birth and maternity care in the same place.
He himself appreciated that as a partner he got plenty of space, and that the rooms were large. Rashidi does not hide the fact that it is sad that that opportunity is gone.
– Giving birth at ABC is not good for the economy. In any case, not the economy that the hospitals manage according to. That type of accounting does not take into account all the positive, long-term and preventive effects of a good birth and maternity period. Instead of learning from ABC and expanding the offer for women giving birth, they run the cheapest solution, he writes on Instagram.
Furthermore, the father of two hopes that politicians choose to prioritize women’s health, and believes it is unfair that the economy controls how women give birth.
– Politicians can choose to prioritize women’s health. This is not a forced situation. It is a conscious choice that goes beyond women and families.
Nettavisen has been in contact with Rashidi, who has no opportunity to comment on the matter further than what he has written on social media.
– Completely behind the goal
Founder Isabelle Ringnes is also among those reacting to the closure. Even it has only been three weeks since she became a mother for the first timeand now she questions the financial prioritization of women’s health.
– For the first argument, I believe that we, as the world’s richest country, should be able to operate three birthing rooms at ABC. The Ullevål ward has managed for 25 years, and it is striking that it is to be closed down now, when the number of births has fallen by 1,100 a year. It is not the case that three new maternity wards are being created. Three disappear, and there will probably be more who have to lie in the hallway without a partner. This when things boil and you are at your most vulnerable, writes Ringnes on Instagram.
After the closure became public, several midwives from the ABC unit have chosen to start a private offer, according to the website of the new maternity clinic, My birth.
Despite the fact that there is a new offer for women who want a natural birth, Ringnes reacts to this being privatised.
– Women should have the opportunity to give birth as they want, regardless of where they come from, if it is medically suitable for it. That the offer would rather be private, I think is completely behind the mark because then there will be a class divide on who can afford a natural birth, writes the new mother.
Speaking to Nettavisen, Ringnes points out that she is positive about the development of private healthcare services, but emphasizes that there must also be public services in society:
– I am basically positive that private individuals can develop offers. But I also believe that the offers should be available to everyone through the public sector. When public services such as ABC are removed, it is ensured that only those who can afford a natural birth can have it. In addition, these natural births are moved home, which can lead to increased risk for mother and child should something happen during the birth.
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Furthermore, Ringnes writes that she herself would not make use of the offer at the ABC clinic, as she wants maximum painkillers and monitoring. Nevertheless, she believes that it should be up to each individual woman.
– Hospitals are run like shops and man-years are cut sharply. It weakens the child and women’s health overall. That is what I am primarily critical of, emphasizes Ringnes.
Concerned about the offer
Tale Maria Krohn Engvik (43), better known as the person behind the Snapchat account “Helsesista”, has a background as a health nurse. After several years in the healthcare system, she fears the consequences of the closure.
– Who the hell is standing at the top and razing our healthcare system, asks Engvik on Facebook.
Furthermore, she claims that an economic analysis has not been carried out that shows the benefit or the consequences of the closure, and describes the whole thing as “catastrophic” and “tragic”.
Influencer and mother Ida Wulff does not like the closure either. In a longer post on Instagram, the influencer describes his despair over the decision.
– The world’s best country to live in – but not for women giving birth who ensure that our country gets new taxpayers in the future. Because I’d like to think that’s why they ask us to give birth to children. Not because it’s cozy. So why our country doesn’t take better care of its women giving birth: CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, writes Wulff on Instagram.
Furthermore, she writes the following:
– Pregnant, giving birth, new mothers. A vulnerable group. Even if we are ONLY thinking about finances and the long term, this group of people should be prioritized. What can a postpartum depressed mother potentially cost society? With a burnt-out father/mother in tow? And what about the child, who did not get closeness and eye contact during the attachment phase?
The influencer also wants better follow-up after the birth itself, with the opportunity to process trauma and talk about the birth experience. At the same time, she emphasizes that becoming a mother is a new life for many women.
Celebrities such as Sigrid Bonde Tusvik, Helene Olafsen and Live Nelvik have also reacted to the closure of the ABC clinic, and have expressed their displeasure on social media.
– This is so sad and wrong in so many ways, writes Helene Olafsen.
