Daoine’s Mischief

The Senate panel barbecued Nicola Roxon’s department staff yesterday at the Inquiry into the Midwives and Nurse Practitioners sections of the Bills being tabled to Parliament.

Senators Rachel Siewert, Sue Boyle, and Judith Adams, in particular, posed the vital questions we have all been asking:

• Why has homebirth been excluded when over 50% of the submissions received for the Maternity Services Review requested that funding for homebirth be considered?
• This legislation will most drastically affect private midwives, so why was not a single private midwife invited to sit on the stakeholder discussion panel? The panel was heavily weighted towards doctor and obstetric involvement.
• How can the insurance bid go out to tender when the definition of eligible midwife and actuarial analysis of what may be involved has not been determined? The actuarial analysis used was based on obstetric figures because there are no midwifery figures available. (Maybe because no one sues midwives?)

Thank you, Senators, for giving us a voice.

This from Homebirth Australia:

Since 2001 midwives have been unable to purchase an indemnity insurance policy. This was due to global factors with the collapse of the insurance market after September 11 and a landmark obstetric birth injury case proving a payout of $11 million in 2002. Guild insurance was providing indemnity at the time and they made a straightforward economic decision. With just under 200 privately practicing midwives paying approximately $800 per annum, there was simply not a large enough pool to fund a payout of the magnitude mentioned above. Medical Practitioners indemnity premiums were subsidised by the Howard Government and continue with over $900 million of tax-payers money has been spent to date. Homebirth midwives continue to be denied professional parity. Women choosing homebirth are treated as de-facto health consumers and are the only health consumers denied the protection of practitioner insurance.

• The Maternity Services Review Report is the 38th review or inquiry into maternity services since 1985 – An unprecedented number of submissions were received (950). Only 500 were received for the National Health and Hospital’s Reform Commission.
• Over half (53%) of the consumer submissions to the MSR discussed homebirth and yet the MSR did not recommend publicly funding for homebirth.
• There are plans for a national registration body (July 2010), a necessary registration requirement is indemnity insurance. If private practicing midwives are not assisted with indemnity insurance the option of homebirth will be illegal. This is not acceptable. Women will continue to choose homebirth, many after hospital trauma.
• Midwives are the only health professionals without indemnity insurance, despite a $500 M support package for medical practitioners since 2001.

Australian singer Clare Bowditch has written a really incisive post on this issue too.

And, to wind down for the weekend, here’s the Song to Nicola Roxon on YouTube.