Current situation for Homebirth

[BellyBelly]

Here's a letter from the Australian College of Midwives Executive Officer... not great reading. I can't believe it, in this day and age, in this 'lucky' country of Australia, were are the only ones in the world (I am pretty sure) to outlaw homebirth midwives. What a bleeping disgrace. I am so angry at the government for doing this.

Dear

Bleak future for private homebirth midwives

In the past week the Australian Health Ministers have issued the draft laws
for the new national registration scheme for health professionals. As we
expected, the laws will require all midwives from 1 July 2010 to hold
professional indemnity insurance for their practice (clause 69). What we
did not expect however, is an additional clause that specifies that every
aspect of care provided by a registered health professional will have to be
covered by indemnity or else disciplinary action may be taken (clause 101).

Employed midwives will meet this requirement via the vicarious liability
provided by their employer. But midwives in private practice are still not
able to purchase insurance. The combination of clauses 69 and 101 of the
national registration bill means that midwives will not be able to care for
women to birth at home unless they have insurance to do so, effective from 1
July 2010.

The federal health minister Nicola Roxon, has committed to helping midwives
who will provide Medicare funded care from 1 November 2010 to access
affordable professional indemnity insurance. Unfortunately this does not
include care of women who labour and give birth at home.

The effect of these changes will be to deprive midwives in private practice
providing care for homebirth of their livelihood. Even more gravely, it
will also reduce women's access to professional midwifery care for birth at
home. ACM is concerned that this may mean some women feel they have no
choice but to give birth without a qualified midwife in attendance.

ACM issued a media release
<http://www.midwives.org.au/News/Coll...5/Default.aspx on Friday 19 June on this matter and the issue received widespread coverage. We are also lobbying all federal and state governments
and political parties to provide support for midwives to access professional
indemnity for all of their regulated scope of practice - which includes care
of women during pregnancy, labour and birth and postnatally in any setting,
as per the international definition of the midwife.

Members who share concerns about this issue are encouraged to contact their
local federal and state members of parliament.

regards

Dr Barbara Vernon
Executive Officer
Australian College of Midwives

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

Thanks for posting this, I was wondering why govt. funded midwives midwives would be covered and private midwives wouldn't. Now every woman who wants a homebirth will have to go through the public system (which doesn't even exist in most states and territories!) which will put a huge amount of stress on the community midwife programs! However you put it, women will miss out.

[~mamaspice~]

Hmmm, this is not good.

Have the ACM approached Insurers to see whether one of them might consider tailoring an appropriate PI product for midwives? As I said in an email to you some weeks ago Kelly, I work in the industry and although our PI department is headed out of another state I am more than happy to bring this up with the appropriate people within our organisation to see whether anything might be possible. This of course is of no financial benefit to myself, just trying to find a way for a cause that I am passionate about. Better independant midwives have the option to access and pay for their own PI insurance then not having them be able to practice at all.

[Shanti]

I can't believe we live in Australia and it's like this!! Makes me so angry to think our rights can be taken away like that... we aren't given the choice.
I was only thinking the other day that I would quite possibly like a home birth for bub #2 or maybe #3.... it is something I would definitely like to consider and possibly experience.

When are we rallying?!?!? I will be there.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

September 7th - 1130am - Parliament House in Canberra - if i am not mistaken.