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Israel

Abstract:

I am a third year Direct Entry Midwifery Degree student at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin. As part of this years clinical elective, I spent six weeks working in the labour and delivery ward at the Holy Family hospital in Nazareth, Israel. Finding a placement in Israel was difficult because, legally, student midwives must be a registered nurses [sic] before studying midwifery. After many months of searching, I was thrilled to be accepted by the Holy Family hospital for six weeks placement during June-July 1994. Holy Family is an Arab hospital (as opposed to an Israeli hospital) funded by Italians. Most staff are Arab, although management and supervisory positions are filled by clergy from Italy and India. The majority of birthing women are Arab with Moslem, Druse and Christian being the three most common religions. Religious identification is strong within Arab communities, and significant in terms of providing culturally and spiritually appropriate care for birthing women. Arabic is the most common language spoken, with Hebrew, English and Italian also used. Midwives, doctors and nurses use English when they do not want the 'patient' to understand what is being discussing [sic] about them. The power differential between 'patient' and 'professional' varies depending on the economic status of the woman.

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culturally and spiritually appropriate care, international midwifery, Israel, medicalisation, medically managed labour and birth, professional power