Midwives warn insurance changes could reduce homebirth services
An insurance exemption for private practise midwives will end next year.
The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) has warned that up to a third of Australia's 500 private-practice midwives could leave the profession by January, following changes to insurance requirements. Currently, privately practising midwives can attend homebirths without insurance coverage for claims of error or negligence, but this exemption will end at the end of the year.
To replace the exemption, midwives must obtain a Commonwealth-funded product from the Medical Insurance Group Australia (MIGA), which is only available to endorsed midwives. Endorsed midwives have completed additional study and accumulated 5,000 hours of clinical practice. This requirement has raised concerns among midwives, as it may be difficult to obtain in rural and regional areas.
The ACM argues that the changes could lead to more homebirths without qualified health practitioners, potentially resulting in unsafe births. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) stated that the changes are aimed at protecting the public from financial and safety risks resulting from negligent acts, errors, or omissions in a practitioner's conduct.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
