Australia hopes to invest A$1.6 Billion to help maternal and children health. This investment with go to providing health care services towards women on any point in motherhood.
The Australian Government's Department of Health plays a role in making sure each state is not only improving, but also maintaining their Maternal Health Services. One way they are doing that is through the Pregnancy Care Guidelines. The Australian government came up with a set of guidelines for health care providers to use to help their pregnant patients. The Pregnancy Care Guidelines encourage doctors to provide routine screenings, tests, and any necessary health prevention so that each pregnancy is as healthy as possible (Pregnancy Care Guidelines, 2019). One great thing about the Pregnancy Care Guidelines is that it gives doctors a list of tests they can do depending on which stage of pregnancy their patient is in. It also gives the doctors common conditions to watch for and even gives them advice to help a patient who may have any social or emotional issues with their pregnancy.
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| Photo Accessed from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/social-and-emotional-screening |
Citations
Australia will invest around US$1.5 billion (A$1.6 billion) over the five years to 2015 on interventions evidence shows will improve maternal and child health outcomes - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=1114.
Australian Government Department of Health. (2019, November 5). Pregnancy, birth and baby. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/pregnancy-birth-and-baby.
I think the Pregnancy Care Guidelines you spoke about will do wonders to reduce the number of birth related deaths. I think having 0 women smoke and have children is a very ambitious goal. I say this because there will always be someone who decided that the health of their fetus is not as important as their own needs. The dedication that the Australian Government is demonstrating is commendable because they are looking at the overall health of the population and making sure they are doing everything they can to make it happen. Compared to the US, “[t]otal U.S. funding for MCH and nutrition, which includes the U.S. contributions to Gavi and UNICEF as well as support for polio activities, has increased from $728 million in FY 2006 to $1.36 billion in FY 2019” (KFF, 2019). $1.6 billion in Australian dollars is roughly $1.9 billion American according to Google’s currency calculator. I am glad that they are making this a priority and hopefully it will rub off on other countries as well.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
KFF. (2019, June 31). The U.S. Government and Global Maternal & Child Health Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-u-s-government-and-global-maternal-and-child-health/.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI did not know that smoking was a big issue in Australia, especially for pregnant woman! It is really nice to know that the government is involved in these new born babies and that they receive care once they're born if anything were to go wrong. I feel relieved by the fact that the government is stepping in and helping women who are going through the maternal process. Pregnancy care guidelines seem to really be helping woman in Australia, I hope they continue to improve upon their system and continue helping women in need of guidance.
Allyson F.
Hi Elizabeth, I think that the government of Australia made a very progressive decision for all the mothers by implementing the Pregnancy Care Guidelines. Having quality care during and after pregnancy is very important for the child to be healthy and grow up without any predisposing risk factors for diseases that may effect them later on in life. The issue of smoking is also a relevant issue here in the United States, and the negative effects that have been researched should definitely be presented to the public to make them aware of the consequences. Taking preventive measures during pregnancy is very important and I like that the government of Australia is stepping in to positively improve maternal health. Great post!
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