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Solve insurance crisis for midwives
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Over the last 3 years consumers and midwives have made representations to government seeking indemnity assistance for midwives. Refusal to provide assistance to midwives is discriminatory and anti-competitive; Private Obstetricians are afforded a 50% premium subsidy by the Federal Government and through the new Medicare reforms, are entitled to package their care and cost shift their private work onto the public purse through the Medicare safety net.
Independent midwives have been unable to purchase PI insurance world- wide. Contrary to some opinion this is not because they have a poor insurance record, it is simply due to their small numbers (around 200 Australia wide), these midwives in fact have an exemplary insurance history.
Midwives are able to provide the entire carriage of care for healthy pregnant women. Midwives are providing the same service as an Obstetrician or General Practitioner (when surgical intervention is not performed).
In rural and remote areas midwifery care is essential to providing safe and accessible care. Many rural women contract community midwives so they can receive care within their community from a female provider.
For indigenous women the situation is more extreme. The vast majority of indigenous women living in rural communities are transported to a larger centre prior to giving birth. Not all women are willing participants and many refuse to leave country. Midwives are then called on to provide care for these women. Without this care indigenous women will not access antenatal care and will not receive care during birth from a registered provider. Antenatal care for indigenous women by a trusted carer has been proven to provide better outcomes (particularly to increase a babys birth weight).
Midwifery care has a social and medical component and thus provides the opportunity to address issues such as substance abuse, housing and relationship issues. The Government has said it is committed to strengthening families. Pregnancy provides a perfect time to support parents before the birth of a child. Australias current maternity system does not even attempt to do this. It is highly fragmented and focuses on the needs of needs of practitioners and institutions, rather than families.
Over the last 3 years consumers and midwives have made representations to government seeking indemnity assistance for midwives. Refusal to provide assistance to midwives is discriminatory and anti-competitive; Private Obstetricians are afforded a 50% premium subsidy by the Federal Government and through the new Medicare reforms, are entitled to package their care and cost shift their private work onto the public purse through the Medicare safety net.
Independent midwives have been unable to purchase PI insurance world- wide. Contrary to some opinion this is not because they have a poor insurance record, it is simply due to their small numbers (around 200 Australia wide), these midwives in fact have an exemplary insurance history.
Midwives are able to provide the entire carriage of care for healthy pregnant women. Midwives are providing the same service as an Obstetrician or General Practitioner (when surgical intervention is not performed).
In rural and remote areas midwifery care is essential to providing safe and accessible care. Many rural women contract community midwives so they can receive care within their community from a female provider.
For indigenous women the situation is more extreme. The vast majority of indigenous women living in rural communities are transported to a larger centre prior to giving birth. Not all women are willing participants and many refuse to leave country. Midwives are then called on to provide care for these women. Without this care indigenous women will not access antenatal care and will not receive care during birth from a registered provider. Antenatal care for indigenous women by a trusted carer has been proven to provide better outcomes (particularly to increase a babys birth weight).
Midwifery care has a social and medical component and thus provides the opportunity to address issues such as substance abuse, housing and relationship issues. The Government has said it is committed to strengthening families. Pregnancy provides a perfect time to support parents before the birth of a child. Australias current maternity system does not even attempt to do this. It is highly fragmented and focuses on the needs of needs of practitioners and institutions, rather than families.
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