RACGP raises concerns about Indigenous homebirth push

The RACGP is calling for caution on an MBS Review Taskforce proposal for Medicare to fund midwives to attend homebirths.
The review’s participating midwife reference group made the recommendation in its public consultation report, arguing it would help Indigenous women wanting to give birth on culturally significant land.
It said the expanded Medicare funding for midwives would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to “give birth on country” and contribute “to the preservation of their cultural identity”.
The committee did not explain how many Indigenous women were missing out on giving birth in their preferred locations because of the lack of publicly funded midwives.