Latest news with #Midwives
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Hospital overcrowding: Over 450 patients on trolleys in Irish hospitals
451 admitted patients were waiting for beds on Monday morning, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). The INMO Trolley Watch showed 296 patients were waiting in emergency departments, while 155 were in wards elsewhere in the hospitals. Advertisement 120 admitted patients were waiting for beds at University Hospital Limerick. 49 of these were waiting in the emergency department while 71 waited in wards elsewhere in the hospital. At University Hospital Galway, 70 admitted patients were waiting for beds, while 46 were waiting at Cork University Hospital, and 22 admitted patients were waiting at both the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital. 24 admitted patients were waiting at Sligo Univeristy Hospital. 14 of these were waiting in the emergency department while 10 waited in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
Mint
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
A poignant new documentary follows two midwives in Myanmar
In the opening scene of 'Midwives", Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing's debut feature documentary, a young woman gives birth in a makeshift clinic in Myanmar. She is splayed out on a tarpaulin mat; an IV drip hangs from the bamboo roof. She groans as Hla, a midwife, examines her and Nyo Nyo, Hla's apprentice, massages her abdomen. The camera lingers on the woman's agonised expression and the baby's face as it blinks into the light. Female onlookers start to chatter. Hla snaps: 'I just told you bitches to shut up." The winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival, 'Midwives" follows Hla and Nyo Nyo across a five-year period as they provide basic health care in Rakhine. The state on Myanmar's west coast is home to the Rohingya, an oppressed ethnic-minority group predominantly of Muslim faith. In the past decade attacks on the Rohingya have intensified. In 2012, after a series of riots between ethnic Rakhines and Rohingya, the army swept tens of thousands of people into camps. In 2017 a spate of ethnic cleansing led some 750,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh. Demography is a political issue, and Hla's and Nyo Nyo's work is considered controversial by their compatriots. In 2013 the Burmese government imposed a two-child limit on Rohingya to 'ease tensions"; local politicians claimed that, without such measures, the Buddhist population would be overwhelmed. (In 2014 Muslims accounted for 4% of Myanmar's citizens.) Such propaganda, espoused by the army and Buddhist leaders, has stoked racial hatred. What makes the women's collaboration unusual is that they hail from different sides of the ethnic divide: Hla is Buddhist and Nyo Nyo is Rohingya. Ms Hlaing (who was born in Rakhine and whose aunt helped her find her characters) chronicles their different travails and the darkening mood in the country. When Rohingya children are banned from government schools, Nyo Nyo sets up an informal classroom; she fantasises about leaving her husband and children and starting a new life in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. Hla receives threats from other Buddhists and learns about people who have been attacked or killed for helping the Rohingya. When men harass her on the street and follow her with cameras, she is defiant: 'Take your photos of me, but make me beautiful!" Hla is the enigma at the centre of the film. It is never made clear why she risks her life to help the persecuted—she says only that they have nowhere else to go. She counts Nyo Nyo as a friend and celebrates Eid with her family. She tells them they should protest against the unfair treatment they receive at the hands of the government. At the same time, she frequently uses racist and derogatory language. 'No matter how much I teach her she'll always be just another kalar woman," she says of Nyo Nyo. Spitting through betel leaf, she repeats the slur used to describe Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. 'They say kalars and cows are the same. She is one of them." As she feeds Nyo Nyo's baby a spoonful of medicine, she says: 'Take this, you little bitch." Moments later she returns to tenderly rubbing the baby's back. Ms Hlaing includes footage of clashes between Rohingya and the authorities and shows the increasing frequency of anti-Rohingya broadcasts on television. Police close the clinic. Hla starts selling fish to make ends meet; Nyo Nyo decides to set up her own medical service. To make it happen, she sells her jewellery and raises funds through a local savings-and-loan society. Hla initially considers this a betrayal, but soon changes her mind. 'Midwives" is a poignant study of how state-sponsored hatred permeates everyday life. Rather than being symbols of hope, the babies that Hla and Nyo Nyo deliver epitomise the vulnerability and uncertain future of the Rohingya population. 'Why were we Muslims born in Rakhine state?" Nyo Nyo asks. She laments the restrictions that prevent them from seeking a better life elsewhere. 'Where can we go? We can't go this way, that way or any other way." The film's final scenes were shot after the military coup of February 1st 2021. This rocked the rest of Myanmar but plunged conflict-ridden Rakhine into a sudden peace, says Ms Hlaing, as the army was sent to put down the protests against military rule that sprung up in Yangon and elsewhere. As the film shows, some demonstrators expressed support for ethnic minorities. The coup and its bloody aftermath roused empathy among the Buddhist majority—many of whom had for years either ignored or supported the persecution of the Rohingya—as they themselves experienced the army's repressive methods. 'When the coup happened the whole country became like the Rohingya," the director says. She hopes a sense of solidarity, like Hla's and Nyo Nyo's friendship, may endure. 'Midwives" is playing in British cinemas and streaming via Dogwoof on demand now
BreakingNews.ie
14-07-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Hospital overcrowding: Over 360 patients waiting for a bed
Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show there are 364 patients on trolleys on Monday morning. 226 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 138 are in wards elsewhere in hospitals. Advertisement The hospital with the highest number of patients without a bed is University Hospital Limerick, with 83 people waiting for a bed. There are 31 people in the emergency department, with 52 patients elsewhere in the hospital. At Cork University Hospital, there is 40 people on trolleys, with 34 people in the emergency department. There are 39 patients waiting for a bed at University Hospital Galway, with 30 people in the emergency department. There is also 39 people on trolleys ayt Sligo University Hospital, with 21 people in the emergency department.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC confirms Call the Midwife 'isn't going anywhere' despite reports of axing
The BBC has confirmed Call the Midwife "isn't going anywhere, despite reports it is "coming to an end" after series 15. The hit BBC series, which follows a group of midwives in London's impoverished East End during the 50s and 60s, began back in January 2012. It has gone on to win several major gongs, including BAFTAs, TV Choice and National Television Awards. Filming is already underway for series 15 of Call the Midwife, which the Daily Star reported was set to be the last. An insider, speaking to the news outlet, said: 'After years of drama and countless births, Call The Midwife is coming to an end. The team have decided it's time to draw the show to a close and bow out. 'This is the last we'll see of these much-loved characters. Storylines will tie up a lot of loose ends.' They continued: 'It's a bittersweet time for the cast and crew. They're all sad it's coming to an end, but they want to make sure the show gets the ending it deserves.' Fans were quick to jump on social media to share how "upset" they were with reports Call the Midwife had been axed. One person, posting on X (formerly Twitter), said: "I'm so upset I love call the midwife praying doctor who ain't next, im scared." Another viewer added: "I can't believe they are taking Call The Midwife away from me this is a personal attack." A third fan commented: "They cancelled call the midwife I'm going into a permanent mourning." they cancelled call the midwife I'm going into a permanent mourning — h. 🤎 (@withlovekarim) June 25, 2025 The 15th and final series of Call the Midwife will consist of eight hour-long episodes and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from January 2026. The new series will follow a two-part Christmas special in 2025, which will be set in Hong Kong and Poplar. But despite these reports, the BBC has reassured fans Call the Midwife "isn't going anywhere". A Call the Midwife prequel series is set for production in 2026. (Image: BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney) The broadcaster said: "The BBC would like to reassure fans that Call The Midwife will remain at the heart of the BBC for years to come. "As previously announced, there are two Christmas specials, a new series, a film and prequel series, before a sixteenth series in due course. "Call the Midwife isn't going anywhere.' RECOMMENDED READING: Call the Midwife confirms return of star as fans say 'he's back where he belongs' BBC announces new Call the Midwife prequel TV series and film Call the Midwife star admits 'it's hard to talk about' BBC show after shock axe Call the Midwife legend surprises fans after landing new role on EastEnders As well as series 15, the BBC also previously announced a new Call the Midwife prequel series. The prequel series, set in Poplar during World War II, will be made for the BBC in 2026. In addition to the new TV series, Neal Street (production company), in development with BBC Film, is producing a Call the Midwife film. The BBC said: "This will be set overseas in 1972 and feature iconic characters from the existing TV show."
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC shares 'profoundly emotional' update about the future of Call The Midwife as show boss pays tribute to loyal fans
A 'profoundly emotional' update about the future of Call The Midwife has been shared by the BBC. Fans hoping to be whisked back into the streets of Poplar will be pleased to learn that filming has commenced for series 15. The broadcaster has confirmed a two-part Call The Midwife Christmas special is being prepared and will be set in Hong Kong and the East End. It will be followed by eight new hour-long episodes from January 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The new instalments will launch into 1971 and the nurses will tackle several issues including 'premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis and slavery'. At the start, senior members of the Nonnatus House staff head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission. The broadcaster has confirmed a two-part Call The Midwife Christmas special is being prepared and will be set in Hong Kong and the East End While they're away, the younger midwives are left to help the local community alone. Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) experiences a huge change in mindset and the 'energy reverberates throughout series 15'. What's more, the women's liberation movement is in full swing and several ladies burn their bras outside of the convent. In another treat for viewers, a Call The Midwife film is also set to be produced and will be based in 1972. While a prequel series is also in the works for next year and will dive into the streets of Poplar during World War Two. Heidi Thomas OBE, creator and writer, said: 'The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. 'I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will. But having wept, laughed, and raged my way from 1957 to 1971, I found myself yearning to delve into the deeper past.' She reflected how the East End during the Blitz was 'extraordinary' and 'filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy'. Heidi added: 'The bombs fell, the babies kept on coming, and the Sisters kept on going.' The writer teased what was in store for the prequel and said: 'There will be so much in the prequel for our wonderful, loyal fans, including the appearance of some familiar (if much younger!) faces. 'As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape. 'The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters. 'Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!' Beeb boss Lindsay Salt described the show as a 'jewel in the BBC's crown'. While executive producer Dame Pippa Harris added: 'In an increasingly competitive viewing environment not only have our loyal fans stayed with us for 14 years, but they've been joined by a new, younger generation who have also fallen in love with our characters and the challenges they face. 'Emboldened by this warmth and enthusiasm, now feels like the right time to expand our world and take our nuns and midwives onto the big screen with our movie, and back in time with the prequel!' More information about the upcoming film and prequel series are set to be released later in the year. It comes after Call The Midwife became the UK's biggest drama series and this year's series averaged 7.8million views. While 2024's Christmas special hit 8.9million viewers.
