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Following the rally we had last week ( the
success of which depends on what you call success!!) I am continuing to raise
the issue in the public's eye about my concerns about MSES and accountability of
funds. I have tried to precis below what the issue is as I see it.
Perhaps my concern is unjustified, the whole point is, without some sort of
accountability, how do we know? I would really love to hear from Victorian
midwives who share my concern about this money and how its being spent and what
difference they think MSES is going to make. When you think of what we
could do with $61 million bucks if it was directed toward primary midwifery care
and women-centred care - its a crying shame to think it might all get pxx@@## up
against the wall and no one ever questions it. If they're doing good
-great. If they're not, we must expose it.
The Victorian Government, as part of the
Maternity Services Enhancement Strategy (MSES) has allocated $61 million to
enhance maternity services.
The money is only available to hospitals even
though part of the brief is to be expanding women’s choices in models of
care and the development of "information" about pregnancy and
childbirth.
At a workshop held on the 10th June
1999 by the Department I raised my cynicism about
I was told not to worry and that the Reference
Group that was being established will act an accountability body to ensure that
money is spenT within the terms and spirit of the strategy.
To date, over a year into the strategy and no
such group has been convened. I have
written to the minister and the department expressing my concerns and asking
when this group will be convened. I have received no response to these
questions.
There are some good initiatives coming out of
the strategy which I acknowledge. However I have also since heard anecdotally
from talking to some midwives working in the units that money has been received
by the hospitals but has simply gone to making up the already existing budget
deficit from previous years. In other instances I have heard of funds being
spent inappropriately (cars; EFM machines) all for antenatal care which is what
the first year’s funding was targeting. I have heard too that the
department are also concerned and doing some "internal"
questioning.
If the Department really wants to know
what’s happening they should be conducting confidential interviews with
midwives working in the units. Midwives are too fearful for the job security to
question their superiors on what is happening or to speak out. However they know
exactly what is happening with that money.
The Department must convene that Reference Group
which must include consumers and all receivers of funds under the strategy
should be accountable to that group.
I will continue to write to the Department and
the minister and write letters to all newspapers and would encourage anyone else
who could imagine the things we could do with $61 million to improve maternity
services in this state, to do the same.
Please contact me for more information - Robin
Payne 9380 2863. |
