Mums-to-Be Go Abroad

THE Department of Health is paying for hundreds of expectant mothers to go abroad for maternity care, it was revealed yesterday.

Official figures show that 269 women last year took advantage of a European Union scheme allowing them to give birth in the country of their choice.

They made up around three-quarters of the total 357 NHS patients sent for treatment abroad last year. Others were referred overseas for a variety of other treatments including speech therapy, hearing aids and blood tests.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said that most of the maternity cases involved women with relatives abroad who wanted to give birth near to their families. The same scheme allows British women living on the Continent to return to the UK to give birth in an NHS hospital.

(c) 2007 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.