RE: [ozmidwifery] Re: [NMAPAustralia] ABC News - Lobby group presses for nationalmidwifery program

[Vicki Chan]

Title: Message

Yeah, I too think it is unreasonable to expect midwives to earn the same per birth as doctors...   A study a few years ago showed the average ob-gyn spent around 4 and a half to 5 hours with a client for the entire pregnancy, birth and post natal period... A midwife in private practice would spend an average of 45-50 hours (sheesh...I can do 4 hours in an initial visit!) with a client in the same period.   It seems only fair that a midwife would receive more! Especially seeing as they have better outcomes!   :)   Vicki     -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Marilyn Kleidon Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 8:39 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Re: [NMAPAustralia] ABC News - Lobby group presses for nationalmidwifery program So what is wrong with being a lobby group? In the current political climate isn't a lobby group essential? I also thought NMAP talked about collaborative management, when necessary, with Obstetricians and GP's? If we wait for the AMA to get onside, well...  Somehow we do have to explore this collaborative aspect of the plan, is midwifery care that threatening? I was at a Midwifery Symposium in Vancouver, Canada last May, where the head of the Canadian OBGYN group was speaking, she is a strong midwife supporter as is the head of their GP group. Neither were as thrilled with New Zealand's maternity programs as we are especially midwives being paid as much for normal births as OB's and GP's. Both felt it had led to the decline in numbers of GP's in NZ.  Anyway it was interesting to hear an OB and GP speak who weren't at all opposed to community midwifery care, but were also anxious to preserve their own professions. In Canada they were finding it hard to fill their OB and GP residencies, there is a real crisis in numbers of maternity care givers including midwives. I do think that somehow we have to find a way to work together that provides women with a spectrum of care to choose from. Excuse me if this sounds a bit gobbleygoobley, I am having a conversation with myself as I speak/write.   marilyn ps: this was the conference:    Midwifery Symposium “Building our Contribution to Maternity Care”, Children & Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 3N1, Canada. May 1-3, 2002. ----- Original Message ----- From: Justine Caines To: OzMid List ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 10:36 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Re: [NMAPAustralia] ABC News - Lobby group presses for nationalmidwifery program Hello Listers & NMAPers A few points in relation to the ABC coverage of the NMAP launch yesterday (those on Oz Mid see ABC posting below). I was quite disappointed in Auntie's coverage of the NMAP launch, particularly the comment they reported from the NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner, Amanda Adrian.  I called her this morning.  She relayed what she said to the ABC and commented that she had been totally misrepresented. She applauded a consumer plan for maternity reform, she did say that focussing on one professional group was fatally flawed, however, that if this plan looked across the continuum then it was a positive step.  So the ABC just chopped off the however bit, how convenient! She also quoted that complaints received by the commission were largely from obstetric care, she backed up our claims for increased midwife led care confirming their consistency with the NSW Sherman Report of 1989!!! and said that the argument against using midwives due to provider numbers was unnecessary as this presented government with an opportunity to be ‘creative with funding.’ I am also concerned that as a national consumer body asserting our rights to evidence based and cost effective maternity care that we are branded with the negative ‘lobby group’ tag.  We are women and mother’s fighting for what we are totally entitled to and it is a disgrace we are fighting at all!!! Yes we are lobbying, but if we’re a lobby group, then the AMA is the most powerful union in the country, constantly holding the government to ransom, often without cause. I am going to approach Media Watch this afternoon.  I think they may be interested in this. Discounting 12 months work and a national campaign driven by women and mothers based on misrepresentation (and the unhelpful comments of Jackie Kelly re Medicare Provider numbers) is not on! Yours in the struggle and in solidarity Justine Caines Maternity Coalition Posted: Tue, 24 Sept 2002 7:59 ACST Lobby group presses for national midwifery program Australia is being urged to follow the lead of other OECD countries, such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and implement a national community midwifery service. The National Maternity Coalition has spent 12 months investigating the benefits and costs of a national community midwifery service. The program would give Australian women access to one-on-one care by a midwife from early in pregnancy until their baby is four to six weeks old. Coalition president Barbara Vernon says a national scheme could be up and running within five years by using the Western Australian Midwifery Program as a template. "That's had two independent evaluations and has excellent clinical outcomes and women are highly satisfied with the care they receive," Dr Vernon said. However, New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commissioner Amanda Adrian has warned against focussing only on midwives. "Any plan that focuses on practitioner groups only is fundamentally flawed," Ms Adrian said.