Midwives To Gain 'doctors' Rights'

The Age

Wednesday September 10, 2008

By Leo Shanahan, Canberra

MIDWIVES are likely to be given expanded responsibilities, including the right to prescribe drugs, in a bid to cope with Australia's baby boom.

In a move that will exacerbate tension with the medical profession, midwives are also expected to be given access to Medicare in areas that are now the exclusive domain of doctors.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon will unveil the ideas today as part of a review into maternity services that will look at how to deal with ways for the health system to cope with the nation's highest number of births in more than 30 years.

The Australian Medical Association, which says that the push for nurses and other non-doctors to perform tasks such as prescribing drugs could endanger patients' lives, is likely to oppose the proposed changes.

A discussion paper on maternity services to be launched today points to an increase of 6% - about 5000 extra births - in Australia between 2004 and 2005, with a further 2.5% increase in 2006 and says births are at their highest since 1971.

The review is being headed by Commonwealth head nurse and midwifery officer Rosemary Bryant and will examine the limited access midwives have to Medicare. Medicare is currently only available for midwives who perform services on behalf of and supervised by a doctor.

There are also no Medicare benefits for postnatal treatment by midwives.

The new system could see midwives given a greater presence within hospitals.

The Government paper suggests that they be given the right to interpret and order tests for mothers as well as prescribe drugs.

"Midwives, as is the case with GP obstetricians, require rights in the hospital setting to enable them to visit and refer their clients, and to order and interpret diagnostic tests and initiate use of pharmacological substances for them," the paper states.

Australia has comparatively low levels of home births and other midwife-led births. Just 0.2% of women give birth at home compared to 2.5% of women in New Zealand and 1.9% in Britain.

The review will also examine medical indemnity laws, which midwives argue make it harder to conduct births and other natal care outside of hospitals.

"The current lack of access to appropriate and affordable professional indemnity insurance products is an obstacle to comprehensive midwife practices," the paper states.

The review will examine a range of problems in maternity services, including the shortage of maternity professionals, access to antenatal and postnatal services and the rising levels of postnatal depression.

© 2008 The Age

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