Reproductive health and safety always ahead of convenience, says AMA

AMA Vice President, Dr Danielle McMullen, told a hearing of the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs that the AMA advocates for safe, accessible and affordable reproductive health services throughout Australia, especially rural and remote areas.

“Importantly, provision of and access to services should be timely, culturally safe, equitable, and affordable,” she said.

“Equity of access for all people seeking services is critical. We can and should improve access to reproductive healthcare in Australia.

“However, we must be careful not to confuse convenience with access because the most convenient option is not always the safest option,” Dr McMullen said.

The AMA submission to the committee focuses on contraception, abortion, collaborative models of reproductive healthcare, health literacy and equity of access to reproductive health services.

The AMA’s submission makes the following points:

• There should be equity of access across Australia to appropriate abortion services, which should involve a multi-disciplinary team under the leadership of a doctor.  All people should have access to legal and safe abortion and counselling services.
• The central Queensland maternity crisis had shone a light on the parlous state of birthing access services not just in Queensland but across Australia. The AMA is concerned about a growing trend in remote and rural areas where obstetricians, GP obstetricians and rural generalists with accredited advanced obstetrics skills are being relegated to secondary positions within maternity care teams or excluded in favour of midwifery-led care.
• It is disappointing that pregnancy care is restricted to top-level private health cover. The AMA calls for pregnancy cover to be included in Bronze and Silver policies and upwards, matching it to cover of other reproductive policies.
• Doctors have a right to refuse to provide or participate in certain medical treatments or procedures based on a conscientious objection. However, a doctor should always provide medically appropriate treatment in an emergency situation even it that treatment conflicts with their personal beliefs.
• It does not support oral contraceptives being prescribed in community pharmacies, a position also taken by the independent regulator of medicines in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration.