Increasing birth rate puts medical facilities under strain

A shortage of maternity facilities is a real prospect in a few years time

Stephen Gadd

More children are being born in Denmark and this trend is set to continue, according to a new forecast from Danish Regioner.

The prognosis, based on figures from Danmarks Statistik, shows that last year 10 percent more children were born than four years ago, reports DR Nyheder.

A veritable baby boom
In 2025, the figure is expected to be around 72,000 – compared to 61,614 last year.

“That’s a pretty big increase, and at first I didn’t really believe it,” said Professor Kjeld Møller Pedersen of the University of Southern Denmark.

“But then I went in and checked the figures and coupled them together with the debate on manning and the strain on maternity units around the country.”

Increased pressure
Recent reports in the media have highlighted the pressure on personnel at many of the country’s maternity wards. If the birth rate does rise as indicated by the forecast, it would increase the existing pressure significantly.

“Maternity wards would undoubtedly come under pressure. Even though it will happen over a number of years, that many births will put a lot more pressure both on midwives and doctors,” added Pedersen.

This is a concern shared by midwives and doctors alike.

“We’ve seen really extensive cuts made in maternity wards, and we’ve almost reached the limit. I’m not saying that we can’t do anything, but we couldn’t handle such a large increase in the number of births with the budget we have,” said Jannie Dalby Salvig, the chief surgeon at Aarhus University Hospital.

TOP STORIES

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs