OBJECTIVE: Consideration of a method of maternity care in cities with dense populations and increasing delays to personal and emergency transport vehicles.
KEY MESSAGES: Review of maternity services recognizes a need for provision of sophisticated care and technology in rural and remote locations as well as cities. The “bub-hub” concept now in development could be augmented with helipods in dense urban areas. Now that private health insurance may support domiciliary care midwife and nurse might care for the parturient woman in her home with recourse to general practitioner or specialist and with quick access to a local helipod. Helicopter might be equipped with operating theatre and emergency response birth team or provide rapid transport for the patient or patients to the hospital.
CONCLUSION: There is a severe strain on hospital bed resources for the sick.Selected healthy pregnant women would be suitable and would have preference for home birth. General practitioners might resume obstetric care if supported by safe infrastructure.
