arachne
March 3rd 05, 05:38 AM
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1258&storyid=2750430
Coming to a home near you - births
By ANNA PATTY State Political Reporter
March 3, 2005
A SYDNEY hospital will become the first in the state to offer
publicly-funded home births when it starts taking bookings from May
this year.
If successful, the project at St George hospital in Kogarah will be
extended to Sutherland hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women.
The Australian Medical Association yesterday questioned the safety of
the proposal announced by the State Government yesterday.
NSW Health Minister Morris Iemma said the home birth model had been
developed in consultation with doctors, midwives and the community.
"This is a first for NSW," Mr Iemma said.
"Since the insurance indemnity crisis in 2001, it has been very
difficult for mothers to access home birthing services, but there is
considerable demand for this option."
Mr Iemma said there were 99 reported home births with GP or private
midwife support in NSW, costing $5000 each in 2003.
"There is also anecdotal evidence that a number of women choose to
give birth at home without professional assistance, potentially
putting themselves and their baby at risk.
"The provision of publicly-funded home birth will address these
issues, providing indemnity cover for the midwives involved, providing
an affordable service and ensuring women have professional assistance
during childbirth," Mr Iemma said.
"Women who book with the project will receive continuity of care from
midwives from the first booking, through pregnancy, labour, birth and
the early postnatal period."
NSW AMA spokesman and Westmead hospital obstetrician Andrew Pesce said
the British Medical Journal had published the largest survey of home
births ever undertaken, showing they placed babies at a two- to
three-fold increased risk of death.
The study involved Homebirth Australia and reviewed 7000 home births
in Australia over a seven-year period.
"I would like to know how they [the State Government] is going to face
the challenge of putting in place systems of care which will avoid a
repetition of those results," Dr Pesce said.
"As a doctor working within the hospital system, I don't want to see
our services lose any funding to fund this.
"There is no fat in our budget," Dr Pesce said.
A spokesman for Mr Iemma said that women who currently elected to have
a home birth without any professional support were putting themselves
and their babies at risk.
"What this model will do is provide professional support for women who
want a home birth and clearly identify who will be suitable and who
will not be," he said.
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS 20th august 2002
#2 due 14th october 2005
"In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny
the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD)
Coming to a home near you - births
By ANNA PATTY State Political Reporter
March 3, 2005
A SYDNEY hospital will become the first in the state to offer
publicly-funded home births when it starts taking bookings from May
this year.
If successful, the project at St George hospital in Kogarah will be
extended to Sutherland hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women.
The Australian Medical Association yesterday questioned the safety of
the proposal announced by the State Government yesterday.
NSW Health Minister Morris Iemma said the home birth model had been
developed in consultation with doctors, midwives and the community.
"This is a first for NSW," Mr Iemma said.
"Since the insurance indemnity crisis in 2001, it has been very
difficult for mothers to access home birthing services, but there is
considerable demand for this option."
Mr Iemma said there were 99 reported home births with GP or private
midwife support in NSW, costing $5000 each in 2003.
"There is also anecdotal evidence that a number of women choose to
give birth at home without professional assistance, potentially
putting themselves and their baby at risk.
"The provision of publicly-funded home birth will address these
issues, providing indemnity cover for the midwives involved, providing
an affordable service and ensuring women have professional assistance
during childbirth," Mr Iemma said.
"Women who book with the project will receive continuity of care from
midwives from the first booking, through pregnancy, labour, birth and
the early postnatal period."
NSW AMA spokesman and Westmead hospital obstetrician Andrew Pesce said
the British Medical Journal had published the largest survey of home
births ever undertaken, showing they placed babies at a two- to
three-fold increased risk of death.
The study involved Homebirth Australia and reviewed 7000 home births
in Australia over a seven-year period.
"I would like to know how they [the State Government] is going to face
the challenge of putting in place systems of care which will avoid a
repetition of those results," Dr Pesce said.
"As a doctor working within the hospital system, I don't want to see
our services lose any funding to fund this.
"There is no fat in our budget," Dr Pesce said.
A spokesman for Mr Iemma said that women who currently elected to have
a home birth without any professional support were putting themselves
and their babies at risk.
"What this model will do is provide professional support for women who
want a home birth and clearly identify who will be suitable and who
will not be," he said.
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS 20th august 2002
#2 due 14th october 2005
"In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny
the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD)