Somewhat belatedly,.... The ACMI put out a release in response to the RANZCOG report and we did get a few media interviews in Vic and ACT.
For info... Barb Vernon. MEDIA RELEASE Friday, 22 August 2003 MIDWIVES: SOLUTION TO QUITTING DOCTORS 'Midwives, as specialists in normal birth, are well placed to fill the gap expected to be created by private obstetricians quitting practice in the next few years' said Vanessa Owen, President of the Australian College of Midwives. Ms Owen was commenting on a survey released today by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, reporting that as many as 150 of Australia's 300 privately practicing obstetricians plan to leave obstetrics in the next 5 years. 'Women often choose a private obstetrician because it's been the only way to have certainty about who will be there at the birth', Ms Owen said. 'But as every woman knows who's ever been cared for by her own midwife throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, having your own midwife is a fantastic alternative'. 'Research has proven that continuity of midwifery care is safe, cost effective, and delivers better outcomes for mothers and babies' said Associate Professor Sally Tracy, at the University of Technology in Sydney. 'Women have less need of obstetric procedures, higher satisfaction with their birth, and less vulnerability to post-natal depression'. Indeed research published in the British Medical Journal shows that healthy women with normal pregnancies who use a private obstetrician are twice as likely to have interventions such as induction, vacuum extraction or caesarean section than women without their own private doctor. Current shortages of midwives across Australia can be readily addressed if the federal government would fund places for would be students. In 2003, more than 1,500 people applied for places in Bachelor of Midwifery courses, for 120 places. 'The federal government should take urgent steps now to fund Bachelor of Midwifery student places, as a positive strategy to minimizing the impact on women of private doctors quitting obstetrics in the next few years' Ms Owen said. 'Midwives have a crucial role to play in providing care to the healthy majority of women and in collaborating with obstetricians to care for the minority of women who really need medical care during labour and birth.' MEDIA CONTACT: Dr Barbara Vernon, Executive Officer 02 6230 7333 0438 8555 529 ---------- From: "pauline" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 09:41:38 +1000 To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Interesting stats on doctors quitting 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. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
