新西兰英语 147 Money for maternity services

　　The government is giving more money for maternity¹ services. One reason for this is that more women are having babies at the moment and hospitals need more beds and more staff. Statistics² New Zealand said the number of babies born in March this year is the highest since March 1991. No one knows why women are having more babies and no one knows whether this will continue.
The Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, said there will be an extra $103 million in total for the next four years. Some of this money is to allow first time mothers to stay longer in hospital if they want to. New mothers sometimes need help with breast feeding. At the moment, women stay an average of two days in hospital after a normal birth. If a woman has a caesarean or a more complicated³ birth, she usually stays five days.
Hospital staff say that the extra money will not help right now because there is a shortage⁴ of midwives. Wellington hospital also has a shortage of beds. Two years ago, they were planning to give mothers a $100 grocery voucher⁵ if they went home six hours after giving birth. Many people thought this put women under too much pressure and the hospital changed their minds about this plan.
Some of this money is to re-train GPs who would like to go back to delivering babies. Many doctors have given up this work. The Minister of Health would like doctors to return to maternity services.

1 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

2 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

3 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

4 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

5 voucher   

n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证

参考例句：

• The government should run a voucher system.政府应该施行凭证制度。
• Whenever cash is paid out,a voucher or receipt should be obtained.无论何时只要支付现金，就必须要有一张凭据或者收据。