Petition: Human rights in Irish childbirth

Petition by iPetitions

South Australian Government proposal to protect midwifery practice

Consultation Paper

The Proposal to Protect Midwifery Practice in South Australia Consultation Paper (PDF 98KB) (opens in a new window) seeks comments from stakeholders and other interested persons on the proposal to legislate for the restriction of midwifery services in South Australia to a registered midwife or midwifery student acting under the appropriate supervision of a registered midwife.

For more detail click here.

Submissions will be received up until 5.00 pm, Friday 1 March 2013 and may be forwarded by:

Email: policy&legislation@health.sa.gov.au
Post:
Protection of Midwifery Practice
Policy and Legislation Unit
Department for Health and Ageing
PO Box 287
Rundle Mall SA 5000

 

 

APMA will submit a response and we would appreciate comment from midwives who have an interest in the matter, as well as families or others who may be impacted by the proposals.

 

Update on Agnes Gereb

This report is from Donal Kerry
International Spokesperson
Campaign for Justice for Ágnes Gereb


The story of Dr. Geréb is one that has been played out in the Hungarian criminal courts for the last two years. On December 6th a further phase commences, when she will face a new set of five charges before one of the criminal courts in Budapest.

As you are probably aware Ágnes has been detained without trial since a birth incident of Oct 5th, 2010 (prison, 77days; house arrest, 710 days and counting!). In February this year she was sentenced to two years imprisonment connected to birth incidents occurring in 2006 and 2007. However, the enforcement of this sentence is still pending as the President of Hungary ruled on October, 10th (see his translated statement at http://www.szuleteshaz.hu/en/press-releases-of-the-clemency/) that Ágnes's request for clemency in this matter will not be decided upon by him until the December, 6th trial charges have reached a conclusion in the courts. This upcoming trial will deal with the birth incident of Oct, 5th, 2010, two further birth incidents and also two "administrative" matters.

The Campaign for Justice for Dr. Geréb would very much welcome your involvement and coverage of this new trial as it continues to raise issues around the situation of Ágnes which we consider important for her but also for the rights she is fighting for:

• her own human rights, 
• the rights of Hungarian birthing mothers, and 
• the rights of midwives in Hungary to be dealt in an equitable way with Hungarian hospital doctors with regard to their treatment when involved in adverse birth incidents. 

On December 6th it's her own rights which will first and foremost come under further intense pressure as she continues to deal with:

• concerns that conditions are not in place to offer her a real chance of a fair trial
• the fact that she should not be before the criminal courts, and like in other EU countries should have her actions assessed by a Midwifery Investigation Committee
• that despite or because of being Hungary's foremost defender of women's rights she has received uniquely aggressive treatment from the State Prosecution Service as exampled by the further fact that she has the full public support of the 3 mothers in the birth cases coming before the court and the 200 parents cited by the prosecutor in the 4th case. 

President Áder in his statement of October 10th acknowledged Ágnes's role in helping birthing mothers and home birth itself. This was an important positive comment for Ágnes coming from the highest office holder in the land but it needs to be built upon by receiving the backing of the Hungarian government as well. The President also highlighted the important place of justice and lawfulness in Hungary and to echo this vital point Dr. Geréb supporters both at home and abroad will be calling on the Hungarian government, through the Minister for Justice to review her case and also to closely monitoring her upcoming trial.

We know from our feedback that Ági's story has captured the attention of women everywhere and also of the many interested in human rights. If readers are in a position to move further on this story please let me know and I can provide u with more information on the 5 cases involved and I know Ágnes would be available to reply to written questions that u might wish to put to her.
Yours sincerely,
Donal Kerry
International Spokesperson
Campaign for Justice for Ágnes Gereb
mobile 0036309242190
email: donalkerry@hotmail.com

This message was received through Beverley Beech of AIMS UK.

Review of the ACM Guidelines

The College (ACM) has announced a review of the ACM National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral (2nd Edition) (2008)
If you do not have a copy, you can download a .pfd version here.

Readers who are members of ACM will have received a message about this review.

The review questions are:

• Do you have any corrections or changes to be considered for the next edition? 
• Do you have any additions that should be considered? 
• Do you use appendix A? 
• Does appendix A work or how does it need changing? 

The guidelines are meant for all midwives, so even if you aren’t a member of ACM, please put your mind to these questions.
The APMA response will address the questions with private midwifery practice in mind.  Private midwifery practice has changed significantly since 2008, when the current version was published, for example:

• All midwives who practise privately are required to have professional indemnity insurance
• An exemption from the indemnity insurance requirement is in place until June 2013, and is expected to be extended to 2015, for midwives attending homebirths privately
• Many midwives are now able to offer Medicare rebates for a range of antenatal and postnatal midwifery services.  
• A few midwives are offering Medicare rebates for intrapartum midwifery services in hospitals where they have clinical privileges/visiting access.
• A few midwives have endorsement on the public register as PBS prescribers

"Endorsed as qualified to prescribe schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines required for midwifery practice across pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal care, in accordance with relevant State and Territory legislation"(AHPRA)

• Many midwives are enrolled in university studies that will lead to endorsement as prescribers.

Readers are welcome to make comments in relation to this review, either directly to ACM, or via APMA.

Communique from Health Ministers

Standing Council on Health

COMMUNIQUÉ

10 August 2012

Australian Health Ministers met in Sydney today for a meeting of the Standing Council on Health (SCoH).  The meeting was chaired by Dr Kim Hames, WA Minister for Health.

Professional Indemnity Insurance for Privately Practising Midwives.

Ministers agreed to an extension of the professional indemnity insurance exemption for privately practising midwives until June 2015.  This will mean that privately practising midwives will continue to be covered by the national registration and accreditation arrangements.

The Commonwealth agreed to vary the determination on collaborative arrangements to enable agreements between midwives and hospital and health services.

Ministers agreed that WA would develop a paper on longer term arrangements and that this would be presented at the November meeting of Ministers.

Media contact: Peta Rule, 0428 923 661 (Dr Kim Hames Office)

[This message has been copied from the SCoH Communique.] 

 

taking midwifery to the mothers

A blog announcement by Toowoomba's My Midwives

... we are commencing a midwifery service at Grand Central.  My Midwives will be in the Level 2 Parents Room every Wednesday morning between 9.30am – 12.30pm. Our accredited midwifery staff will provide a range of services including antenatal information and advice, blood pressure checks, education for women and comprehensive post birth checks for mother and baby up to six weeks after birth. These services are available as Medicare bulk billed visits. [Note: You must be pregnant or have a baby no more than six weeks old and hold a current Medicare card to receive a bulk billed service.]

That sounds like a great idea!

Congratulations, My Midwives.