Re: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
Title: Message Cas Thank you for sharing this excellent approach with us Denise - Original Message - From: Wayne and Caroline McCullough To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2003 4:04 PM Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry! We recently had a front page article on our local newspaper (in Brisbane) about this issue and our MC branch president was quoted saying that midwifery care is important to the solution, not extra doctors. The week after, a letter of mine was printed in the paper stating the following (minus a few extra words after editing): "Midwivery care vital for births" The dearth in maternity care choices has had a huge impact on my family. My first baby was born by emergency caesarean due to a catastrophic cascade of unnecessary intervention. As a result, I endured a painful recovery and months of depression. It wasn't until I became pregnant with no. 2 that I discovered obstetric support for VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) was virtually non-existent. As I felt let down by obstetric care after my first babys birth, I wanted to have my next baby at the Royal Women's Birth Centre but was automatically excluded due to my scar. So, my only other option was to hire an independent midwife or have my baby at home unassisted. Considering the obstetric fraternity overestimates VBAC risks according to medical research literature, it angers me that women in my situation are denied access to the support they desperately need within our health system. In the end, baby no. 2 was born by necessary caesarean so I am thankful we have access to obstetricians when we need them but rather than crying about the lack of doctors, the government should provide healthy pregnant women with one-to-one midwifery care so that those women who don't need medical intervention can avoid doctors altogether. We have a lot of support from Labour Party members and our current goal in Qld is to get birthcare reform on the media agenda in force so that it gets onto the election agenda (later this year or early next year). Hope the content of this letter helps if any of you want to draft similar responses. Cheers, Cas McCullough
RE: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
Title: Message We recently had a front page article on our local newspaper (in Brisbane) about this issue and our MC branch president was quoted saying that midwifery care is important to the solution, not extra doctors. The week after, a letter of mine was printed in the paper stating the following (minus a few extra words after editing): "Midwivery care vital for births" The dearth in maternity care choices has had a huge impact on my family. My first baby was born by emergency caesarean due to a catastrophic cascade of unnecessary intervention. As a result, I endured a painful recovery and months of depression. It wasn't until I became pregnant with no. 2 that I discovered obstetric support for VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) was virtually non-existent. As I felt let down by obstetric care after my first baby’s birth, I wanted to have my next baby at the Royal Women's Birth Centre but was automatically excluded due to my scar. So, my only other option was to hire an independent midwife or have my baby at home unassisted. Considering the obstetric fraternity overestimates VBAC risks according to medical research literature, it angers me that women in my situation are denied access to the support they desperately need within our health system. In the end, baby no. 2 was born by necessary caesarean so I am thankful we have access to obstetricians when we need them but rather than crying about the lack of doctors, the government should provide healthy pregnant women with one-to-one midwifery care so that those women who don't need medical intervention can avoid doctors altogether. We have a lot of support from Labour Party members and our current goal in Qld is to get birthcare reform on the media agenda in force so that it gets onto the election agenda (later this year or early next year). Hope the content of this letter helps if any of you want to draft similar responses. Cheers, Cas McCullough
Re: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
Dear Anne and others trying to get media attention, I wonder if acting in concert with local Greens and Democrat members of parliament would help or work??I trust you all know that NMAP is Greens and Democrat policy and through that they have knowledge or a source of it about the issues!! And thus they may also may gain political mileage for example our local Giz could not only stand up and say Bob is right not to fund private businesses (priv Obs) but he could save more or Public and tax payer money by funding increased access to CMWA across WA!!! Thats what I am trying to tell her Denise - Original Message - From: Anne Clarke To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2003 5:13 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry! Dear Denise, Yes, the AMA is obviously got a Nation wide campagin going on this matter. As far as the media is concerned (as well as the pollies) here in Brisbane - and in other States too - we write, call the media and local and State pollies, ask for meetings. The ACMI is certainly trying to bring to it to the attention at the National Level at least to the pollies and the media that Midwifery care is the cost effective go. The Maternity Coalition is doing all it can to maintain a profile with the media and government about this issue, and the inequity of choice for maternity care for women and that there is no need to 'rescue' obs from anything. Regards, Anne Clarke Brisbane Dear All The WA branch President of AMA was on the radio and TV (ABC) today trying to get the govt to contribute to the increase in PI of priv Obs saying the women will have to pay and are already paying between $100 to $500 per pregnancy and will get higher!! Otherwise we wil not have enough doctors to deliver babies!! Mins of Health says the govt has covered the Obs in Public health and the country! Is this happening in all states? How do we get the media to acknowledge the savings of contracting private midwives for the government , health funds and community?? Denise Hynd
Re: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
As part of Birth Action Group and Maternity Coalition Qld. we have gone out of our way to make sure the media never grows cold on birthing and midwifery issues. Every week we have someone writing in or answering comments to the editor about different articles. Probably one of the most effective tools we have found is to get some media on side. We have a terrific women working for our major paper who attended a birth with me and was enthrawled by what she has been privaledged to see. She is very happy to write for us and to be of influence in getting articles in the paper. I urge you all to write now. Ring up tell them you want a story done. Offer to speak about the issues. Get a few midwives and mums to gether and tell your stories. New is powerful. And one of things we are doing this week is meeting to discuss how we can make the media work for us. The other thing we are doing is going for a grant to educate the public through the media. There is plenty you can do as individuals. You just have to be diligent. Don't let sleeping dogs lie. Get up and bite em!!! Blessings Dierde B.
Re: [ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
Dear Denise, Yes, the AMA is obviously got a Nation wide campagin going on this matter. As far as the media is concerned (as well as the pollies) here in Brisbane - and in other States too - we write, call the media and local and State pollies, ask for meetings. The ACMI is certainly trying to bring to it to the attention at the National Level at least to the pollies and the media that Midwifery care is the cost effective go. The Maternity Coalition is doing all it can to maintain a profile with the media and government about this issue, and the inequity of choice for maternity care for women and that there is no need to 'rescue' obs from anything. Regards, Anne Clarke Brisbane Dear All The WA branch President of AMA was on the radio and TV (ABC) today trying to get the govt to contribute to the increase in PI of priv Obs saying the women will have to pay and are already paying between $100 to $500 per pregnancy and will get higher!! Otherwise we wil not have enough doctors to deliver babies!! Mins of Health says the govt has covered the Obs in Public health and the country! Is this happening in all states? How do we get the media to acknowledge the savings of contracting private midwives for the government , health funds and community?? Denise Hynd
[ozmidwifery] JLY1 outcry!
Dear All The WA branch President of AMA was on the radio and TV (ABC) today trying to get the govt to contribute to the increase in PI of priv Obs saying the women will have to pay and are already paying between $100 to $500 per pregnancy and will get higher!! Otherwise we wil not have enough doctors to deliver babies!! Mins of Health says the govt has covered the Obs in Public health and the country! Is this happening in all states? How do we get the media to acknowledge the savings of contracting private midwives for the government , health funds and community?? Denise Hynd