------ Forwarded Message From: Jan Robinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, 07 Jul 2002 09:46:26 +1000 To: joy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Victorian Midwives Act
Dear Liz, Joy and listers in Victoria Please do not give up your ideals and aspirations just because you are uninsured. There are plenty of doctors currently practising uninsured as are many small business people and organisations that have unique skills they believe is serving the public interest. They have found ways to divest themselves of assets as a temporary measure while working towards better insurance legislation. The current attempt to control independent midwives has nothing to do with 'medically controlled maternity services' although medicine will always have the biggest say in who does what while ever midwives continue to act as nurses within a Nurses Act. It is the Victorian NURSING profession that is controlling it's midwives with bullying tactics and has them running scared. Why should a midwife who has an authority to practice be charged for practising independently when the Act clearly states she has the right to? Independently Practising Midwives should not be concerned about the possibility of defending themselves for professional misconduct because of some misguided regulation. Now is an ideal time for those midwives who practise autonomously with women to get together and bring about a vote of no confidence in the Victorian Nurses Board for not trying to assist midwives providing a service for the public good. Such a move might start the Board's considerations to drop their restrictive regulations within the Act. Their discriminatory behavior towards midwives must be stopped. Legislation that singles out a sub-group and controls where and how they practise and/or prevents them earning an independent living IS restrictive. The Board could better protect the public by inviting all the midwives in private practice to contribute to the state insurance scheme when they register their intention to practice each year. Can't the Victorian Branch of ACMI get a bit proactive in all of this and take the Board to task to produce some more equitable legislation? I hope this ridiculous situation is soon sorted out or there will be lots of freebirthing within Victorian homes this winter. Yours in providing legitimate birth choices for women Jan Robinson __________________________________________________________________________ Jan Robinson Phone/fax: 011+ 61+ 2+ 9546 4350 Independent Midwife Practitioner e-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 8 Robin Crescent www: midwiferyeducation.com.au South Hurstville NSW 2221 National Coordinator, ASIM __________________________________________________________________________ On 3/7/02 10:56 AM, "joy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Liz > My heart goes out to you. Realising that this list is a public medium, > what I am saying is what I would say to anyone in a similar situation. > I have developed this approach from many years of working in Victorian > public and private hospitals, and through my involvement with students > of midwifery and qualified midwives who are unhappy with the restrictive > environment they face in medically controlled maternity services in > Australia. Most of us need to earn a living, and the reality for most > is that a job in a hospital is better than no job at all. Anyone who is > considering going into private midwifery practice, particularly in > Victoria, should be aware that the legislation requires us to have PI > insurance, which can�t be got as far as we know. Are you willing to > defend yourself against a charge of unprofessional conduct? > > A midwife who seeks to offer woman-centred care in a system that is not > sympathetic to such notions needs to identify points at which she (or > he) can use her skill, and maximise those �midwifery moments�. There are ------ End of Forwarded Message -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
