Imagine you're not allowed to take your newborn baby home until you've paid the hospital

[flimflammery]

In Indonesia, many women can't afford to pay the hospital where they gave birth. They're allowed to see their baby twice a day to feed and change nappies. Some end up giving the baby up for adoption. An American women, Robin Lim (a friend of mine has met her and says she's 'amazing'), has set up a free clinic in Bali (and another in post-tsunami Aceh, both in Indonesia) to offer midwife-led care. She's in a CNN 'heroes' competition, if she wins she'll get money to help more women give birth safely. You can read about her and vote if you feel inclined to here

Excellent. She has MY vote.

Thanks Dilly

This is quite common in many African countries - women are held against their will for weeks. Many more families are thrown into catastrophic debt by the cost of unexpected medical care such as c-sections. While it sounds like the work of Robin Lim is excellent (as are many ohter organisations around the world) things will only change when women have access to maternal health care free at point of delivery.

Voted and shared on Facebook.

'things will only change when women have access to maternal health care free at point of delivery'
I agree, but free universal health care is a long way off for many countries. In the meantime we do what we can.

bumping this for a busier time of day

Flim - I agree and wasn't trying to undermine what aid agencies and individuals were doing. Actually though it may not be so far away - in many African countries there's quite a move towards free health care for pregnant women and children, and we need to keep up the pressure for this to happen as well as supporting individual projects and programmes.

Having traveled a fair bit thanks to my job, I'm incredibly grateful that we have a NHS system. I think we take it for granted far too much. Just the other night, DP & I were watching a program and a US woman was saying how when she went into hospital what she was worried about. And how to pay was one of them! It's just not a thought which (rightly so) enters our mind at all in the UK.

I am afraid I couldn't see the vote thing anywhere. If it is facebook I'm buggered.
We lived in two countries where it was pay upfront or suffer. I am so grateful for the NHS. If people were less expecting of what is sensible to ask for, it may be in better shape

Bump

I'm finding it hard to vote?

voted

You don't have to be on facebook to vote, you can vote by email or facebook.

heroes.cnn.com/vote_en.aspx

I had no idea such atrocities happened! Forgive my ignorance. I'm in shock!

See the baby 2 times a day to feed? Are they fucking kidding??? Forgive the swearing but I'm in total shock.

I had NO idea that things like this happened. No idea. Voted.