13 December 2006

New maternity, child and family health service at Malabar

Minister for Health John Hatzistergos today opened a new $730,000 perinatal service for women of Aboriginal, culturally and linguistically diverse communities at Malabar.

Mr Hatzistergos said this was a new direction in maternity care.

"In just 16 months the Iemma Government has improved maternity care and provided more choices for NSW women.

"There's more to do but we're heading in the right direction by establishing the Malabar Community Midwifery Link Service.

"The Iemma Government is getting on with the job, creating eight new full-time positions including five midwives, a mentored Aboriginal midwife, a midwife consultant coordinator, an Aboriginal health worker, and a part-time child and family health nurse.

"The Malabar Community Midwifery Link Service is a community-based midwifery service providing safe, collaborative, accessible and culturally appropriate care to achieve better health outcomes for women and their families living in identified isolated communities.

"This service is available to people living in Malabar, Maroubra, Matraville and La Perouse, where women may be most at risk of poor perinatal outcomes and social isolation," he said.

The service is also available to Aboriginal women from other areas who choose to give birth at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick.

"The Malabar Community Midwifery Link builds on the NSW Government's plan to provide a high quality and equitable health care system," Mr Hatzistergos said.

The Link will coordinate with child and family health and other allied health services offered at the Hospital and the already successful outreach program, Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Service from the Royal Hospital for Women.

Regular obstetric and child and family health clinics will operate at the Malabar Community Midwifery Link Service with staff from the Royal Hospital for Women and Sydney Children's Hospital responding to referrals from the midwives and child and family health nurse.

"This service will be supported by experts from one of the state's best hospital for women and babies," Mr Hatzistergos said.

This service is expected to care for up to 200 women each year, providing improved care for mothers and a healthy start for more babies.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au