Midwives get indemnity cover

THE HON NICOLA ROXON MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
MEDIA RELEASE
7 June 2010
FIRST MIDWIVES TO BENEFIT FROM INDEMNITY INSURANCE
Privately practising midwives and their patients get extra protection from today with Commonwealth Government-supported professional indemnity insurance now available.
This will make a real difference to expectant mums who can now elect to see a private midwife who will have Government subsidised insurance and from 1 November, have the cost of those services covered by Medicare.
Around half of the approximately 277,000 babies born each year in Australia are delivered through the private system and half through the public system.
The Government wants to better support our expectant and new mothers and this insurance will help do that. It is a key part of the Rudd Government's $120 million maternity reform package to provide women a greater choice in high quality, safe maternity services.
Mothers under the high quality care of eligible midwives will now be confident that their midwife has the proper professional indemnity insurance coverage.
The availability of this new professional indemnity insurance product also means eligible midwives will be able to meet the requirement under the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for all registered health practitioners to have appropriate insurance cover. This requirement comes into effect from 1 July 2010.
This new landmark insurance product, provided by Medical Insurance Group Australia, helps to underline the importance midwives play in providing safe maternity care in Australia. It also builds on the historic legislation passed by Parliament in March that will enable the women cared for by eligible midwives to benefit from access to the Medical Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The Commonwealth-supported insurance will not cover services provided during homebirths. These services have a two-year exemption from the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
As part of its $120 million maternity services package the Government is also providing:
       More services for rural and remote communities;
       Extra scholarships to train more GPs and midwives, particularly in regional areas;
       A new 24-hour, seven days a week telephone helpline and information service to provide women, their partners and families with greater access to maternity information and support before and   afterbirth.

As Health Minister, I am proud of these reforms which provide long overdue recognition and more support to our highly-skilled midwifery workforce.
Media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220

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