Ms SACILOTTO - 2005-08-16
There is overwhelming national evidence that improvements to maternal and child health are the key to reducing long-term incidence of chronic disease in later life. Can you inform the House what this government is doing to improve maternal and child health services to remote areas of the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for this very important question because, of all the priorities we are following in the health system in the Northern Territory, this is our top priority - child and maternal health. This is the one that is seeking generational change between the current health profiles we are facing in our acute care sector in the Northern Territory, and what we hope will be a much lower demand into the future if we can get this right.
Healthy mothers are more likely to produce healthy babies, who will grow into healthier kids, who will grow into healthier adults - that is what the research is saying. It is saying that, if you can get the birth weights up, protect young kids from infectious diseases, and support mothers from all of the negative factors that are going to impact on their health and wellbeing during the time they are bearing their children, you are going to reap a huge reward further down the track when those children grow up to be adults. We have already placed 25 child health workers to deal with kids once born. We will add 10 to that as part of our new commitments before the last election.
In the area of maternal care, so far, we have: consolidated the Community Midwifery program in Darwin; introduced home birth as an option for mothers in both Darwin and Alice Springs; provided training in advanced obstetric skills for current midwives and medical practitioners; and initially put out two outreach midwives to extend coverage into the remote communities. We are now doubling up; we now have two outreach midwives in Alice Springs and two in Darwin. Each of these steps is putting more and more health support around mothers during their antenatal period, the birth itself, and the postnatal care. We aim to have each of these steps reflected in the health profiles of babies and infants who have come out of these programs.
We are on track. We are absolutely committed to this. We are receiving national recognition for our commitment to this area. We are now leading national processes on child health and wellbeing - quite rightly so, because our health professionals in the Northern Territory in this area of health care are second to none. We are being listened to, and what we are doing is being very much noticed around Australia. I am very proud of the people in our health system who are doing this very important work.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for this very important question because, of all the priorities we are following in the health system in the Northern Territory, this is our top priority - child and maternal health. This is the one that is seeking generational change between the current health profiles we are facing in our acute care sector in the Northern Territory, and what we hope will be a much lower demand into the future if we can get this right.
Healthy mothers are more likely to produce healthy babies, who will grow into healthier kids, who will grow into healthier adults - that is what the research is saying. It is saying that, if you can get the birth weights up, protect young kids from infectious diseases, and support mothers from all of the negative factors that are going to impact on their health and wellbeing during the time they are bearing their children, you are going to reap a huge reward further down the track when those children grow up to be adults. We have already placed 25 child health workers to deal with kids once born. We will add 10 to that as part of our new commitments before the last election.
In the area of maternal care, so far, we have: consolidated the Community Midwifery program in Darwin; introduced home birth as an option for mothers in both Darwin and Alice Springs; provided training in advanced obstetric skills for current midwives and medical practitioners; and initially put out two outreach midwives to extend coverage into the remote communities. We are now doubling up; we now have two outreach midwives in Alice Springs and two in Darwin. Each of these steps is putting more and more health support around mothers during their antenatal period, the birth itself, and the postnatal care. We aim to have each of these steps reflected in the health profiles of babies and infants who have come out of these programs.
We are on track. We are absolutely committed to this. We are receiving national recognition for our commitment to this area. We are now leading national processes on child health and wellbeing - quite rightly so, because our health professionals in the Northern Territory in this area of health care are second to none. We are being listened to, and what we are doing is being very much noticed around Australia. I am very proud of the people in our health system who are doing this very important work.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016