To everyone who is sending letters and press releases, please keep
ozmidwyfery informed of who has received information.
I will copy the wording of the press release that is being sent jointly by
Maternity Coalition, ASIM and AIMS at the end of this message.
The current tally that I know about stands at:
* Sydney Channel 7
* ACT TV stations
* Guild Insurance
Press Release Faxed or emailed to
* Health & Aged Care (commonwealth)
* ACMI
* DHS (Vic) - Nurse Practitioner committee
* Nurses Board of Vic
* Nursing Review
* Radio National
* The Age (vic)
* Herald Sun (vic)
* Health Dept magazine (vic)
Melbourne TV and radio stations (I have a list which I am about to work on
now)
A joint statement by consumer and professional groups: The Maternity
Coalition Inc, Australian Society of Independent Midwives, and the
Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services.
PRESS RELEASE
14 July 2001
Re: Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance for midwives
Midwifery practice and the options women have for birth have been thrown
into chaos by the crisis caused by the withdrawal of Guild Insurance from
midwife PI Insurance policies. This is an issue that will affect all
midwifery. The impact of this crisis will be to disadvantage women and
their families across the country, as midwifery services will be withdrawn
and further marginalised.
We seek immediate intervention from both federal and state governments, to
enable midwives to continue practising. Many concessions have been made in
recent months to obstetric models of care, encouraging pregnant women to
give birth in private hospitals, and promising to reduce the gap in rebates
for doctors' fees. At the same time the basic option of continuity of care
from a known midwife - THE model that is strongly supported by research
evidence - is being withdrawn. This is totally unacceptable. It defies
logic, removes the midwife's livelihood, is not in the interests of the
consumer, and is causing great distress to women who have made plans to
give birth in the care of a midwife.
Signed by
Joy Johnston, a midwife representing the Maternity Coalition Inc [Tel: 03
9808 9614]
Robin Payne, a consumer representing the Maternity Coalition Inc [Tel:03
9380 2863]
Jan Robinson, a midwife representing Australian Society of Independent
Midwives [Tel: 02 9546 4350]
Toni Cannard, a consumer representing Association for Improvements in the
Maternity Services [Tel: 03 3265 4137]
Fact sheet:
* Birth is not an illness. Internationally accepted best practice
standards for optimal maternity services promote care by a known midwife
during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. This is fundamental to the
definition of a midwife: one who provides primary care for women throughout
the pregnancy and birth, and who collaborates with other practitioners
(such as obstetric specialists) when a woman requires specialist or
secondary levels of care.
* The focus of the midwife's care is the woman, as an individual. The
wellbeing and safety of the woman and her baby are paramount, and data from
Australian and international reporting support midwifery care as protecting
the safety of the woman and child.
* Australian women have very limited access to the optimal standard of
care. This is due to many social and professional factors, including the
progressive medicalisation of pregnancy and birth over many years, together
with the government funding monopoly that supports medical primary care and
excludes most midwifery options of care.
* A recent Australian Society of Independent Midwives (ASIM) survey of
members revealed most of the membership was insured with Guild; two have
been without insurance since their policies expired recently, and the rest
will gradually become uninsured as their policies expire. A small
proportion of ASIM midwives are insured with ANF (Australian Nursing
Federation) Victoria and so far they are unaffected. There were five
members who carried no professional insurance whatsoever.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN INSURANCE RUNS OUT?
For those midwives no longer insured, there are two alternatives;
* cease their private clinical practice, thereby requiring the women booked
with them to make other arrangements, as well as the midwives losing their
livelihood.
* continue to practice without PI insurance ...
this will mean that midwives who did have visiting/admitting rights in
hospitals will no longer be able to attend their clients in hospitals and
therefore reduce women's choice of birth venues to homebirth only.
If an Independently Practising Midwife (IPM) always acts as a reasonable
midwife would in any situation then they are unlikely to face a malpractice
suit. However, the person who ultimately suffers when there are adverse
outcomes is the woman who has a damaged baby and if there is no insurance
the woman has little hope of any financial assistance for the rest of her
baby's life.
* We seek immediate action to address this crisis. Despite the best
efforts of competent professionals in all settings (hospitals, birth
centres and home), the unpredictable nature of birth, and of life itself,
means that there may be adverse outcomes. We recommend government
insurance arrangements that are made available to all who experience the
dreadful cost of birth trauma! Women (and their families) deserve support
through public insurance if they are the victim of bad outcomes from
encounters with any health professionals.
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