TV is deeply troubled by Private Healthcare Australia’s (PHA) proposal for a new model of private hospital maternity care that would see midwives and GPs manage pregnancies and births without support from specialist obstetricians.
The College has long advocated for private maternity care reform but cautions that PHA’s approach poses risks to the safety of women and their babies and will ultimately lead to fewer birthing choices in Australia.
Bundled payments will not improve affordability. In 2024, AIHW reported that more than 50% of births in Australia involved instrumental or caesarean intervention1. Obstetricians play a critical role in maternity care, where births initially thought to be ‘low risk’ can require an obstetrician should complications arise. A collaborate approach to pregnancy and labour care is shown to deliver the best outcomes for mothers and babies.
PHA’s budget submission fails to consider how risk would be managed. The lead provider of maternity care would bear the burden of indemnity responsibility for all services included within the bundle, making the service prohibitively expensive to provide and thus unlikely to be financially viable. Models of care should be determined by evidence for safety and quality and should take women’s choices into consideration – they should not be dictated by insurance companies who are likely to prioritise profit.
TV insists women in Australia deserve more. A framework that limits practitioners’ ability to provide care will ultimately lead to fewer options for women, especially those facing high-risk pregnancies or those who prioritise continuity of care with an obstetrician.
As the peak body for obstetrics and gynaecology, RANZCOG has advocated to be involved in solutions at a federal level. We encourage the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon. Mark Butler, to engage with obstetricians and doctors.
“If we want solutions that are best for women – that support private maternity care and practitioners – RANZCOG must be consulted,” said RANZCOG President, Dr Gillian Gibson.
References:
1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s mothers and babies: Method of birth [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2024 [cited 2025 Feb 26]. Available from:
For media enquiries
Bec McPhee
Head of Advocacy & Communications
0413 258 166
bmcphee@ranzcog.edu.au
