Wednesday 17 August 2005
NEWS RELEASE

Medicare number for midwives welcome: women will have real choice in maternity care

"The Government's plan to provide Medicare numbers to midwives is welcomed, "said Leslie Arnott, National President of Maternity Coalition, Australia's national maternity advocacy organisation. "The Maternity Coalition has been asking for better maternity care options for all women, including midwifery care, and now it appears that the Federal government is finally listening."

"This is a particularly important decision for rural women, many of who do not have access to a maternity service at all. Midwives in rural communities can meet the demand for sustainable maternity services" said Ms Arnott.

"This plan will allow appropriate services to be provided by midwives to healthy women and their babies. By allowing midwives to do what they have been trained for, GP's and specialist obstetricians will be free to provide care for genuinely sick people and the minority of women who need medical assistance during pregnancy" said Ms Arnott.

Midwifery care is proven to be more appropriate and cost effective for the majority of women. All programs currently offering midwifery led care are over-subscribed.

"Providing Medicare numbers to midwives is long overdue," says Ms Arnott. "Before this announcement women could only choose doctors to care for them during pregnancy. Now they will be able to truly choose between all service providers to select the most appropriate person - and for most women, this is a midwife. The federal government has definitely taken a step in the right direction."