The
Australian Government recognizes the inequities in maternal health within the
nation and has implemented a series of initiatives to address the issue.
YEAR
|
FUNDING
|
INITIATIVE
|
2004
|
$4.3
million over three years
|
Increased
funding to combat smoking during pregnancy through encouragement of health
professionals to advise pregnant women of the adverse outcomes.1 Additionally,
antenatal clinics now make smoking cessation advice and program referral
information widely available.2
|
2004
|
$1.69 million over three years
|
Increased funding to “develop and trial locally appropriate family,
family friendly, evidence based sustainable models of service delivery which
include a strong health promotion and prevention focus”.1
|
2008
|
$490 million over six years
|
Funding of the Indigenous Early Childhood Development National
Partnership to improve maternal and child health, increase access to maternal
and child care services for Indigenous families and improve pre-pregnancy and
teenage sexual and reproductive health.3
|
2009-10
|
$120.5 million over four years
|
Funding of the Improving Maternity Services Budget Package which
increased services for rural communities.3 The Government
also planned to address the issues of lifestyle risks in pregnant women.3
|
Unfortunately, despite these initiatives, the inequities are still
significant. This is also demonstrated in the general success with the
Nationwide anti-smoking campaigns, which have failed to reach those Australians
with “less capacity to respond
to health promotion messages and related information”.4(p2)
What we want…
Community empowerment. Funding needs
to be directed towards development of the local rural and Indigenous health
workforce and towards initiatives led and managed by the local community (for
example Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations). From this
platform, maternal health promotion will be appropriate, acceptable and
effective.
Targeted interventions. Interventions
must increase awareness of the damage caused to the unborn child and provide
adequate support services to assist pregnant women in achieving their health
goals. We need:
Targeted campaigns to reduce number of women smoking during pregnancy
Targeted campaigns to reduce drinking during pregnancy
Establishment of support networks and facilities specific to achieving preventative maternal health goals
Increased access to contraceptives for teenagers in the rural setting
Increased awareness of the consequences of poor maternal health on infant heath outcomes
Targeted campaigns to reduce number of women smoking during pregnancy
Targeted campaigns to reduce drinking during pregnancy
Establishment of support networks and facilities specific to achieving preventative maternal health goals
Increased access to contraceptives for teenagers in the rural setting
Increased awareness of the consequences of poor maternal health on infant heath outcomes
Continued momentum toward a focus on
prevention…
“It
is in the national interest to allocate a greater proportion of total health
resources to health promotion and illness prevention – and given the particular
characteristics of people in rural and remote areas, the returns from this
investment will be substantial in those places”. 4
National legislation supporting the
rights of the unborn child. Every child has the right to the best possible
start in life.
1. Australian Government Department of Health.
Maternal and Infant Health. Commonwealth of Australia [cited 2014 Mar 01].
Available from: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-maternal-index
2. Australian Institute on Health and Welfare.
Australia's Mothers and Babies 2011 [Internet]. Canberra: University of New
South Wales; 2011 [cited 2014 Mar 01]. AIHW cat. no. PER 59. Available from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129545698
3. Australian Government Department of Health.
Taking Preventative Action – A Response to Australia: The Healthiest Country by
2020 – The Report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce [Internet].
Commonwealth of Australia; 2010 [cited 2014 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/1671CBF53AA5E030CA2579540005F1C3/$File/6588%20DoHA%20Health%20Strategy_120510.pdf
4. National Rural Health Alliance Inc. Fact
Sheet 5: Health Promotion in Rural Australia [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2014 Mar
09]. Available from: http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/fact-sheet-05-health%20promtion%20in%20rural%20australia_0.pdf
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