Media Releases

Media releases for 2019 from NASOG

  • 3 April Media Release

Health Funds should leave clinical decisions to doctors

A call by health funds to remove the Medicare rebate for what they describe as “harmful” and “unnecessary” caesarean births has been slammed as irresponsible and ill-informed by the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG).

  • 4 March Media Release

Name-and-shame website plan simply shames Government inaction

A proposal by the Federal Government to establish a website listing specialist doctors’ fees and their out-of-pocket charges will do nothing to reduce costs and be little more than a dangerous distraction for patients seeking treatment.

Media releases for 2018 from NASOG

  • 7 November Media Release

Funding crisis hits women’s health

An emerging crisis in private maternity and gynaecology services, and the impact this is having on patients and health services, must be addressed immediately.

Media releases for 2017 from NASOG

Media releases for 2016 from NASOG

  • 19 July Media Release
    Peak women’s health body congratulates Government on re-election
    NASOG has congratulated the Turnbull Government on its re-election and also welcomed the re-appointment of Sussan Ley as Minister for Health. President of the peak body for women’s health specialists, Dr Gary Swift, said the Association urged the re-elected Government to continue supporting initiatives to improve patient outcomes as it looks to implement its health agenda.
  • 01 April Media Release
    NASOG welcomes coroner’s findings into tragic home birth death
    The peak body for women’s health specialists, the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG) has elected leading specialist Dr Gary Swift as President. He was previously Vice President, and has worked closely with the NASOG Council for a number of years.

 

Media releases for 2015 from NASOG

  • 26 November Media Release
    New President for peak women’s health body
    The peak body for women’s health specialists, the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG) has elected leading specialist Dr Gary Swift as President. He was previously Vice President, and has worked closely with the NASOG Council for a number of years.

 

  • 26 October Media Release
    Call for improvement of Australia’s overstretched health system
    Australia’s peak body of women’s health specialists, says the avoidable deaths of infants at Bacchus Marsh and Melton Regional Hospital highlights the strain associated with Australia’s overburdened hospitals, the need for increased resources, greater collaboration of governments regarding funding, and improved clinical governance.

 

  • 24 September Media Release
    Congratulations to new Ministers appointed in health
    President of NASOG, Dr Mike Aitken said it was good that Sussan Ley MP was allowed to continue her hard work as Minister for Health, only now she would be ably supported by the Minister for Rural Health, Senator Fiona Nash, and an Assistant Minister for Health, Mr Ken Wyatt MP

 

 

Media releases for 2014 from NASOG

  • 26 May Media Alert
    Private hospital safer says report (PDF 166kb)
    A new research study, looking at over 700,000 births from 2000-8 has shown that Australian women, who have babies in a private hospital, actually have superior maternal and perinatal outcomes compared to women who give birth in public hospitals.

 

Media releases for 2012 from NASOG

  • 21 September Media Update
    NASOG President meets with politicians to warn of the importance of timely handover of care from midwives to obstetricians.Up to 50% of women with midwife-led-care will need the care of an obstetrician in the event of complications during pregnancy and birth.  Dr Foote stressed the need for ‘collaboration of care’, and in particular agreement on when to transfer care in a timely fashion.  Dr Foote met with politicians from both sides of politics, including Senator Moore,  Mr Dutton, Dr Southcott, and Dr Laming.Particular areas of concern with the proposed reversal of collaborative care with a named obstetrician are lack of agreement between midwives and obstetricians on:

    • the definition of failure to progress in 1st stage as well as and second stage.  Some midwives will allow pushing to go on for longer than three hours, when the average length of pushing is 1 hour.
    • the frequency of internal assessment to check the cervix is dilating during labour. Some midwives don’t perform any internal assessments in labour.  International guidelines are for assessments at least every 4 hours.
    • definition of non reassuring fetal heart rate pattern, and when continuous assessment of the fetal heart should be performed
    • definition of severe post partum haemorrhage and when an obstetrician should be called.

    NASOG is urgently calling on government to convene a working group to established agreed joint guidelines for transfer of care from a midwife to an obstetrician

  • 13 February Media Alert
    Pregnant Women need more support (PDF 111kb)
    More expectant mothers will be tipped out of the private health system and into overcrowded public hospital beds, once a measure to means test Private Health Insurance becomes law, warns specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists.