ON July 17, the federal election was called.
Unwittingly or otherwise, the previous day the Department of Health and Ageing quietly rushed before the Governor-General a document defining collaboration for midwives.
National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral
Michelle Meares, Amy Bell, Sally-Anne Brown and Rebecca Jenkinson are standing in the seats of Robertson, Macquarie, Corangamite and Dickson respectively. These seats are ultra marginal and these women are united by a common passion to improve maternity care for Australian women rather than seeing health services dominated by the self interest of the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
Maternity reform was the first cab of the rank in Rudd’s health reform plan. Nicola Roxon announced funding midwives through Medicare for the first time. “This legislation had the capacity to greatly improve care for women across the country and was initially well received.” says Rebecca Jenkinson, teacher, mother of 2 children and independent candidate for Dickson.
The scanned page here is from a Draft Summary of Professional Indemnity Insurance for Midwives, developed by the NMBA. This flow chart outlines the process for midwives to comply with the professional indemnity insurance (PII) requirements of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme which has been in effect since 1 July this year.
FOLLOWING the Government’s backwards changes to national midwifery regulations, thousands of Australian women are voicing their concern.
Collectively, thousands of voices have culminated in four women running as independent candidates in critical marginal seats in an attempt to talk to Australia’s law makers.?
In May 2009 the Government announced long-awaited reforms to Australia’s maternity care system, to give women better “choice and access” in their maternity care:
- Medicare rebates for women receiving care from expert midwives
- A solution to midwives’ professional indemnity insurance problems
- Boosted funding for rural maternity services
- $120.5 million new funding
These reforms promised to greatly improve women’s control, choices, continuity of care and access to community-based care, in the most significant reform yet to the Medicare system.
Today Tonight Segment of homebirth legislation (Perth)
Last year Ms Roxon announced that from November this year midwives would for the first time be able to use the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare rebates for their clients.
At the time, Ms Roxon said the historic move would boost a midwife’s ability to work independently and increase options for pregnant women, especially those in rural areas who struggle to get access to care.
After months of suspense, the Determination defining “collaborative arrangements” was quietly signed into law by the Governor General on 16 July, without notification to stakeholders. The Determination can be downloaded from this link.
The Determination provides 4 options for collaborative arrangements. Each option requires the midwife to have some form of permission from a doctor, before a woman can receive Medicare rebates.
“This Government has failed to provide adequate support for practising midwives who are case managing expectant mothers but who are not eligible for professional indemnity to support a mother in a lawful home birth,” said Sharman Stone, Shadow Minister for the Status of Women