Addressing the shortage of neo-natal care in the bush
In order to address the lack of anti natal health care in rural and remote Australia Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott plans to introduce new Medicare item 16400 that will allow medical practitioners to bulk bill anti natal services provided. The current proposal would result in nurses without midwifery qualifications being on the list of anti-natal health care providers and allow them to deliver babies. This is against World Health Organisation guidelines. Eight national organisations for nurses, midwives and obstetricians have released a consensus statement asking for nurses without midwifery qualifications to be removed from the list of providers under item 16400. Vice President of the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia, Associate Professor Sue Kildea from Charles Darwin University is concerned about item 16400, and Western Australian Senator Judith Adams has spoken to Health Ministry advisors about these concerns.