On 23 July First Lady Andra Levite as the patroness of the Riga Maternity Hospital Fund met at Riga Castle with representatives of the Fund to discuss how to promote positive delivery experiences for parents and other topical issues.
The participants of the discussion agreed that a crucial aspect in promoting positive delivery experiences for parents is not only comfortable infrastructure for the delivery and postnatal processes, but also staff attitudes and professionalism. The representatives of the Fund noted that a customer experience specialist has been brought in to examine existing processes and provide recommendations and solutions for improving the delivery experience for parents. “In regard to improving the delivery experience, we need to aim to supplement the existing quality of medical service with a parent-friendly hospital environment. However, we must keep in mind that some new mothers may not accept this additional support, even though they are precisely the ones who could most benefit from, for example, breast-feeding consultations or other types of support,” Andra Levite emphasised in discussing support mechanisms for members of various social groups. The First Lady also noted the example of “family midwives” in Luxembourg and Germany who regularly visit new mothers at home during the first years of the child’s life.
The representatives of the Riga Maternity Hospital Fund informed that ways to expand the work of the Fund are being sought in order to promote cooperation with other similar organisations abroad. As regards national sustainability and demographics, the Fund is planning to seek solutions that would allow to provide support for premature babies and their parents, as well as implement other measures currently made impossible due to the epidemiological situation.