Media Release - Thursday March 10 2005
Contact: Justine Caines 0408210273

Rural Lives will be lost unless swift action is taken:

Calls on Minister to provide Midwives with Medicare Provider Numbers

Key groups will meet in Alice Springs today as a forerunner of the 8th Rural Health Conference. Birthing in the Bush is a major priority for 2005 of the Rural Health Alliance, organiser of the national conference.

"Rural Maternity services are in dire trouble. Many Australian women and their babies are being put in danger due to a lack of services. Maternity Coalition does not believe Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott fully appreciates how serious this issue is." said Justine Caines, President of the Maternity Coalition Australia's peak national consumer advocacy group.

Justine Caines is a mother of 4 children and lives in rural NSW. Her town has been without a maternity service for 13 years.

"Small local services are closing and women fear the thought of giving birth on the side of the road, or in ambulances en route to a service that may be several hundred kilometres away. This is not good enough." Said Ms Caines

The World Health Organisation recommends Midwives as the most appropriate carer for the majority of pregnant women. "Midwives are trained to care for healthy women and detect any complications for the minority of women that experience them." said Ms Caines

"In Australia, however our broken health system does not use midwives to their capacity. It is crazy. We have women put in danger with no maternity service while midwives are not working as they were trained and are registered for." Said Ms Caines.

"The federal government has acknowledged there is a workforce crisis in maternity services. Maternity Coalition therefore calls on Health Minister, Abbott to immediately enable midwives to work as they were trained and registered." said Ms Caines.

"Tony Abbott must grant midwives Medicare provider numbers. This will enable all maternity health professionals access to the bush and give women a better chance of accessing a local service." said Ms Caines.

"The consumers of maternity care are often forgotten, and yet aren't mothers and babies the central focus of maternity care." said Ms Caines

Today's meeting will gather groups such as the Australian College of Midwives, Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.

Media Contact: Justine Caines 0408210273

P.O. Box 1190
Blackburn North,
Victoria 3130
Australia