I have been reading a lot of comments in the media recently about how new requirements for professional indemnity for midwives will make homebirths illegal and drive them underground.
One of the key sources of angst voiced by midwives is that the federal government pays for the indemnity for obstetricians and GPs, but will not pay for midwives. This is either a clear lack of understanding of how indemnity works or a deliberate attempt to mislead the reading public.
Doctors who deliver babies in the private sector pay for their own indemnity insurance and the premiums that they pay are substantial. The government provides a guarantee for claims above 20 million dollars, they don't actually pay the indemnity insurance premium.
The reality is that, if people highly value the homebirth option, then they will pay the midwifery fees that are commensurate with what the insurance organisations charge the midwives as premiums.
Nobody is "picking on" the midwives, they are simply expecting them to operate under the same, responsible framework of practice as everybody else. The move to national registration for all health professionals (medical, nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy...) will mean that all health professionals will need appropriate indemnity cover to be able to practice. Surely that is a good thing.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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