NEWS RELEASE - Monday July 12 2004

Birthing Services Review Welcomed by Consumers

Australia's peak maternity care consumer group, Maternity Coalition, welcomed today's announcement of a review of Queensland's maternity services.
 
"Queensland's mothers have been pushing for this review for a long time" said Maternity Coalition state president Bruce Teakle.
 
"Health Minister Gordon Nuttall has had the courage to recognise that there are serious problems in our maternity care services, and has established a properly funded external review to involve the community in developing policy." said Mr Teakle
 
"We are also pleased to hear the language of "informed choice" being used by review leader Cherrel Hirst, and look forward to seeing maternity care consumers well represented in the review." said Mr Teakle
 
"Queensland Health Director General Steve Buckland has indicated his determination to see implementation of the recommendations from this review, and that this review would not be joining the 30 plus previous Australian reviews of maternity services, which have sat on shelves gathering dust." Said Mr Teakle
 
Mr Teakle said that Maternity Coalition expected the review would be considering solutions to a range of problems, such as:

• Diminishing access to maternity services for rural and regional women.
• Lack of access to one-to-one midwifery care.
• Rates of caesarean section inconsistent with women's preference or the need for safety (at 31% of births this is over twice the maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation as necessary for safe childbirth).
• Rapidly increasing costs to the public health system, despite decreasing choices for women.

Doctors, midwives and consumers have already strongly indicated their willingness to work collaboratively in the review," said Mr Teakle.

Contact: Bruce Teakle: 3289 0231 or 0438 736 740

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