Re: URGENT Lobbying re insurance - health ministers Meeting

[Roslyn Donnellan - Fernandez]

Dear Barb & all

The Minister For Human Services in SA has apparently requested preparation
of a "briefing paper" from the Department re the midwifery indemnity issue,
so I agree it is timely & worthwhile to pursue this course with a view to
getting it on the agenda at the National Health Ministers meeting on August
1'st.

Regards
Roz Donnellan - Fernandez
Self Employed Community Midwife (Adelaide, South Australia)
----- Original Message -----
From: Vernon at Stringybark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: ozmid <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 5:08 PM
Subject: URGENT Lobbying re insurance - health ministers Meeting


>
> Dear List,
>
> State & federal health ministers are meeting next Wed 1 August.
> Professional indemnity insrance for gps and obstetricians is on the
agenda.
> If people in each State could lobby their Minister in the next few days we
> might succeed in getting the meeting to at least recognize that this issue
> needs to be extended to include midwives!!
>
> For some background read on.
>
> On tuesday 25 July, a group of us from the ACT Branch of Maternity
Coalition
> met with the ACT Health Minister Michael Moore to lobby him re the
midwifery
> insurance issue.  The meeting was as expected but nonetheless
disappointing.
> Moore was totally disinterested - claiming too much else to do - not a
> priority etc.  Also said he did not see it as a government responsibility
to
> provide women with choices re maternity care!!!  We pointed out that they
> are responsible in this for 2 reasons:
>
> 1. they are currently forcing women to choose the high tech medical model
by
> not providing or supporting alternatives (limited places at the 1 birth
> centre in Canberra and no support or visiiting rights for independent
> midwives)
>
> 2. by forcing women to take the medical route they are wasting taxpayers
> dollars since the highest numbers of admissions to hospitals are birthing
> women and the majority of women don't need to be there.
>
> Our arguments fell on deaf ears but we did learn one relevant thing -
there
> is to be a meeting of the National Health Ministers Council next Wednesday
> (1August) and professional indemnity insurance for GPs and obstetricians
is
> on the agenda!!
>
> We pushed for ACT Minister to include midwives under this agenda item with
> limited success.  He would only promise to 'see if the opportunity
arises'.
>
> If other state health ministers are primed on extending consideration of
> indemnity insurance from doctors to midwives then there might be some hope
> that this meeting could at least begin consideration of the insurance
crisis
> in relation to midwives.
>
> I would be happy to provide anyone who is interested with a copy of the
> briefing paper Maternit Coalition ACT used for our meeting with the ACT
> Minister for Health.
>
> yours in activism,
>
> Barb Vernon
>
>
>
>
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