NEWS RELEASE - Friday February 11 2005
Consumer Group Issues challenge to health minister
Women will no longer accept 2nd best in Sydney's West

Today Health Minister Morris Iemma announced the closure of Camden Birth Centre. This is despite Camden having better outcomes than both Campbelltown and the state average. "It is also despite a huge community campaign that saw in excess of 300 attend a rally in January, many of them pregnant women." said Justine Caines, national president of Maternity Coalition.

Minister Iemma is promising to re-open Camden as a primary midwifery unit, like the program operating in Ryde. The Ryde Midwifery Group Practice has been recognised in less than a year of operation, winning a State award in clinical risk management" said Associate Professor Sally Tracy from the University of Technology.

Consumers are asking for an ironclad guarantee that they will provide a service like Ryde in Camden. NSW's maternity health system is broken. For too long the NSW Government has put the interests of medical practitioners ahead of women. The result has been closures of rural units across the state and overfilling of larger hospitals.

"Current maternity care does not provide women with safe or satisfactory care," said Ms Caines. The Ryde model is however a demonstration of what maternity services should look like statewide. The Minister needs to play a central role in the development of safe and sustainable maternity care, something he is yet to do." said Ms Caines

"This can be a very positive health story. It is up to the Minister." said Ms Caines

"The Ryde program enables women to be cared for by a midwife they know and trust from early pregnancy through labour and birth and for six weeks after the baby is born. It is the care that has been proven to provide new mothers with better support and women luck enough to experience it flock to it." said Ms Caines

"The women of Camden and in fact across the state deserve the same" said Amanda McElhinney local Camden mother.

Camden families strongly support midwifery care, so does NSW Health policy. It's now time the minister stepped out from behind the rhetoric and put families interests first; where they belong." Said Ms Mc Elhinney.

A planned community rally will continue as planned on Saturday 12 February. Several hundred are expected. Many businesses will close in support

RALLY DETAILS: 11am PAH&I Grounds, Argyle Street Camden
12 noon Macarthur Park for speeches
Local state members Peta Seaton and Geoff Corrigan will address the crowd

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