There is a very similar article in today's Melbourne Herald-sun....( page 17 - Mums-to-be face crisis) "what are all these women going to do with no doctors to deliver their babies"...... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrea Robertson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 8:09 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Interesting stats on doctors quitting
> This article appears in today's (Saturday) Sydney Morning Herald. What is > interesting (amongst other things) is the assumption that the public system > won't cope with the extra numbers of women who are not using the private > hospitals. These numbers are not high, in the overall scheme of 250,000 > babies born each year in Australia. When you think how much these few women > cost the taxpayer from over-servicing (i.e. unnecessary interventions) by > obstetricians, we might all be better off if they just use our excellent > public hospitals! > > Andrea > > -------------------------- > > Pressure to deliver - the private crisis > > By Ruth Pollard, Health Writer > August 23, 2003 > > Almost half the country's obstetricians are planning to abandon private > practice in the next five years, affecting the delivery of up to 17,000 > babies by 2008. > > Some will enter the public hospital system and others will practise > gynaecology and related specialties. > > But it was not just medical indemnity that was driving the doctors away, it > was the constant pressures of practice and its impact on family life, a > survey by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and > Gynaecologists found. > > The college's president, Andrew Child, said the drift from private practice > illustrated a cultural change within the profession. > > "It is that commitment in private obstetrics to being available 24 hours a > day, seven days a week > for your patients, particularly for solo practitioners, that affects > people," Dr Child said. > > "It is possibly a generational thing: the concept of being on call 168 > hours per week is something that the younger generation just > won't consider." > > > > When obstetrician Amanda Dennis and her husband decided to have a family, > she knew she could not balance her family life with private practice > on-call work. She quit private obstetrcs on July 1 and now practises in the > public system. > > "I could not . . . be on call 24 hours a day and be pregnant or have a > young child, even with a nanny even if my husband was prepared not to work. > > "My life was chaos most of the time . . . now I go home after work and > that's it, unless I am on call, which is about three days per month." > > Medical indemnity was also a consideration; for Dr Dennis, it was her > largest practice expense. In 2002 her premium was about $100,000 and in > that year she delivered 200 babies. On top of that, she had to buy $50,000 > in tail cover for any future claims when she retired from private practice. > "Ultimately you have to put it on the bill to the patients," she said. > > Doctors are also warning that the public hospital system will be > increasingly struggling to meet the demand created by the exodus of private > obstetricians. > > "If we get another 16,800 babies in the public hospital system, which is > the amount of births we > would expect to handle in the next few years, there will be strain," Dr > Child said. > > Specialist obstetricians are also quitting public hospitals. The survey > found 100 intended to quit the system in the next five years. > > Of the 1162 specialists practising obstetrics and gynaecology around the > country, less than half practise obstetrics and only 300 are in private > practice only. > > Already, 150 specialists have quit private practice in the past three > years, and 55 said they > intended to stop private practice in 2003, the survey found. Over the next > five years, another 150 will cease practice. > > While medical indemnity was not nominated as the main reason for leaving > the profession, 10 per cent of those surveyed reported paying premiums of > more than $98,000 in 2001-02. > > "One issue is the affordability, but there is also the ogre of this hanging > around in the background, whatever you do," Dr Child said. Ultimately, it > meant it was increasingly difficult to get a private practitioner, with > rural areas suffering most, he said. > ------------------------------------ > > > > ----- > Andrea Robertson > Birth International * ACE Graphics * Associates in Childbirth Education > > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: www.birthinternational.com > > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
