Women are safer and it’s cheaper: Why these findings on private versus public maternity care can’t be ignoredÂ
A landmark Australian study shows giving birth under the care of a private obstetrician is safer than in a public hospital.
When the costs to patients, Medicare, the PBS, federal and state governments and insurers are added up, the research shows private care is also about $6000 cheaper per pregnancy.
Published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and co-authored by former AMA president Professor Steve Robson, it suggests women birthing in the public system are two times more likely to experience stillbirth.
Infants face twice the risk of an Apgar score of less than 7 after five minutes in public care, while women are nearly three times more likely to experience haemorrhages or third- or fourth-degree perineal tears.
