Midwives win more freedom

A RECENT landmark decision by the Federal Government will provide women with greater access to midwives than ever before.

The decision, which will expand Medicare rebates and medication prescribing rights to midwives, will help to increase women’s options for their care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Deputy head of nursing and midwifery at Griffith University’s Logan Campus, Jenny Gamble, who is also the national president of the Australian College of Midwives, has welcomed the announcement, and said it was a win for the midwifery profession and for all women.

“These changes will give midwives more freedom to be private health providers in their own right and explore the full scope of their professional practice. As a consequence, the changes will also improve birthing options for Australian women,” she said.

“The evidence is clear that women and their babies have improved health when they have access to care by a known midwife during pregnancy, labour and birth and for the weeks after birth. We expect these maternity service reforms to enable access to this type of care.”

Dr Gamble said up until now, there had been no professional indemnity insurance available to self-employed midwives, or Medicare fee rebates available to clients.

“Their only option was to pay for the midwife themselves, and to pay for care at home or at the midwife’s rooms, but not hospital care,” she said.

“(The new decision) means three things: eligible midwives have Medicare eligibility, improved access to the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) so they can prescribe common medications used in childbirth and they can also access professional indemnity insurance.

“There will be a more radical change in rural areas, with access (to a midwife) more widely available.

“It’s long overdue, it’s bee quite a battle.”

But it’s not all good news, with a gap in the insurance legislation still not covering privately employed midwives for home births.

“The Government needs to bring it (home birth) in from the cold, bring it under some government structure, encourage collaboration,” she said.