NEWS RELEASE - Wednesday August 27 2003

FED & STATE GOVS REFUSE TO SAVE
$200,000,000 IN HEALTH CARE

Maternity Care Accounts for the highest number of Hospital Bed Days

"While the Commonwealth and State Government's negotiate the new Australian Healthcare Agreement at the Council of Australian Governments meeting, the cost of maternity services escalates and the quality of and access to care declines. Governments continue to refuse to listen to consumers who have a proven formula to lower cost, improve outcomes and increase access to services in rural areas." Said Justine Caines, Acting National President of the consumer organisation, The Maternity Coalition.

Taxpayers currently foot a multi-million dollar bill to cover routine over servicing of healthy pregnant women. In the meantime, Health Ministers refuse to acknowledge best practice maternity care is based on integrated services that incorporate midwifery led care. "Midwifery care is proven to be cheaper. In Australia it is estimated that savings in the order of $200,000,000 could be made if women had access to best practice midwifery care as they do in New Zealand and the UK" said Ms Caines.

For months the public have been told there is a crisis in Obstetrics, with practitioners walking away. Specialist obstetricians are trained to deal with acute conditions and emergencies that occur in up to 20% of cases. Midwives are experts in the care of normal pregnancy and childbirth but have been prevented from providing their services by a medical system that treats healthy women as a business. "We need to utilise specialists when they are required and provide midwifery care for the majority of healthy women." Said Ms Caines

Recent figures revealed a caesarean section under private health insurance costs between $7,000 and $19,000. For women who genuinely need it, surgery can be lifesaving, for the many who don't it can be dangerous. The latest NHMRC data on maternal deaths (1994-96) saw a 70% increase in preventable maternal deaths, with caesarean surgery seen as a major contributor. Yet recent media reports present this procedure as being on the increase to reduce litigation. "Compared to normal birth, a woman having a caesarean section is 4 to 5 times more likely to die. Yet medical practitioners are using this procedure to avoid the small risk of litigation. This practice must stop, women must know the truth." said Ms Caines

Health budgets around the country are currently being spent on disjointed programs that see women and children falling through the cracks." In rural areas many women are not receiving essential pregnancy care because rural GP's either no longer offer an obstetric service or because they do not bulk bill. "In some rural areas, still severely depressed by drought, a visit to the local GP costs $43 a gap of close to $20 so what we are seeing is women going without consistent care. We need maternity care options that support women now." said Ms Caines.

"In New Zealand, where midwifery led care has been embraced since the early 1990s, 75% of women choose a midwife and the success of significant system change has been outstanding. The death rate for Indigenous babies has been halved and is half that again of Australia's Indigenous women. Currently in Australia, Indigenous babies are 24 times more likely to die at birth than babies born to non-Indigenous mothers." Said Ms Caines

Not only have the outcomes been fantastic in New Zealand, the Government has saved significant health dollars as the Maternity services budget has been in decline for over 5 years.

Contact: Justine Caines 0408 210 273

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