00:00James and Anna were brought into the world at the Hobart Private Hospital.
00:07Mum, Michaela, had planned to return there in late August to give birth again.
00:12The care that I received both times with my stay at the Hobart Private was phenomenal,
00:18like from the start to finish, so supportive.
00:21Healthscope has announced it will cease operating maternity services at the private on August 20,
00:27meaning Michaela will have to make new plans.
00:30It's daunting, such a huge service closing and in such a short period of time.
00:36How are our other services going to cope with the influx of births in them?
00:41That leaves Calvary as the only other private operator in the state.
00:44It and the Royal Hobart Hospital will have to cover around 600 extra births per year.
00:50I think Calvary is very capable of stepping up to the mark.
00:54One of their biggest challenges is it's just been dumped on them, so they're scrambling.
01:00Obstetrician Dr Stephen Bradford says there's a national shortage of midwives.
01:05There is midwives training in Tasmania, but it's all done from interstate universities,
01:11so I guess it's not probably ideal.
01:15But the profitability of maternity services in the private health system remains a key issue.
01:20Hospitals say insurers are taking the profits.
01:23Insurers say medical specialists are charging higher rates.
01:27Women should be given the option of having an obstetrician and midwife shared care arrangement
01:34at a lower cost or a GP and midwife shared care arrangement.
Comments