Dear List, Maternity Coalition has been advised by someone working closely with government on the PI issue that midwives are not being considered as part of the AHMAC Working Group on PI report for the next Health minister's meeting (due in May 2002). This is despite the referral of this issue to the Working Group by the September 2001 Health Minister's meeting in Adelaide.
We are also unsure whether or not the 23 April National Summit on PI insurance to be hosted by fed health minister Kay Patterson includes consideration of the effects of this issue on midwives. At the moment we have been unable to get a clear commitment that it will. I have written and sent the following letter today. I would urge all interested organizations and individuals to send similar letters to the federal health minister ASAP. MC is seeking consumer representation at the meeting. We've probably got bucklies but it is important to try and to stress the importance of maternity consumers' interests being considered!! yours in midwife-led birthing, Barb Vernon. The Hon. Senator Kay Patterson Minister for Health & Ageing Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister, Re National summit on health professional indemnity insurance I am writing to seek your urgent assurance that professional indemnity (PI) insurance for midwives will be included on the agenda for the National Summit on PI Insurance to be held on 23 April 2002 in Canberra. The Maternity Coalition is a national non-profit umbrella organisation committed to improving maternity care for women during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, through women having greater access to one-on-one care from an expert midwife. Midwives are currently the only health professionals who have been forced to cease practice altogether due to the lack of PI insurance. The withdrawal of this service affects more than 7,000 thousand Australian women and their families each year. The loss of this care is contrary to leading obstetric research which shows that midwife-led care is both cost-effective and world best-practice care for pregnant women. The Australian Health Ministers acknowledged the importance of this issue last September when they referred the problem of PI insurance for midwives to the AHMAC Medical Indemnity Working Group. Yet, extraordinarily, we have information that suggests the Working Group has not considered the issue of PI for midwives in the report it is preparing for the May Health Ministers¹ meeting. The Maternity Coalition strongly urges you to include access for midwives to affordable Professional Indemnity insurance on the agenda for the 23 April Summit and to find workable solutions to restore private midwifery services. This is particularly crucial in regional areas where childbirth services are rapidly being shut down and women have no option but to travel long distances to have their babies. In addition to seeking your commitment to address the lack of PI insurance for midwives, the Maternity Coalition is keen to represent consumers of maternity services at the Summit. We look forward to receiving an invitation. Yours sincerely, Dr Barbara Vernon National President 8 April 2002 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
