An anonymous complaint submitted by a group of midwives alleging midwifery is at a ''crisis point'' is being handled by the Ministry of Health.
The ministry confirmed to the Otago Daily Times last week it had received the 33-page complaint, which was initially lodged with the Health and Disability Commissioner.
The midwives sent a copy of their comprehensively documented complaint to the ODT.
A cover note says the complaint ''marks a real crisis point''.
''This is from an anonymous group of midwives - they fear for their jobs [and] professional relationships.
''The public should know about it. Things cannot continue like this,'' it says.
The cover note says the patient rights watchdog had decided to transfer the complaint to the ministry.
The complaint details midwifery pressures around New Zealand, citing the legal basis for why the failings are a breach of the patient rights code overseen by the commissioner.
The group urged the commissioner to investigate.
The situation was ''in essence placing midwives in breach of the [patient rights] code''.
The complaint highlights media reports about midwifery pressures, including an ODT article about fears over unsafe maternity transfers in the South.
''Midwives working in almost all secondary and tertiary maternity hospitals are in a state of very real crisis.
''Almost every DHB is understaffed and the midwife [staffing numbers are] grossly inadequate.
''Many complainant midwives expressed strong concern about being identified ... it is simply unacceptable for individual midwives to be too frightened to speak out lest they be ostracised, marginalised, or effectively dismissed from their employment,'' the complaint says.
In a written statement, maternity adviser Bronwen Pelvin told the ODT the ministry would respond to the anonymous midwives directly.
''The ministry is aware that some urban district health boards are experiencing difficulty recruiting sufficient midwives and is taking this problem very seriously.
''We are working closely with DHBs and other groups, such as the New Zealand College of Midwives and the Midwifery Council of New Zealand, to understand the complexity of why this is happening and what we can do to resolve it.
''The ministry helps rural midwives by providing locum midwives and offering practice establishment grants to fill gaps in rural midwifery services,'' Ms Pelvin's statement said.
