Putting members’ health before profit

The Guardian: Australia’s maternity wards strained as evidence mounts of COVID-19 baby boom

The Guardian Australia writes demand for maternity services is increasing in some parts of Victoria, prompting fears the public system is ‘at breaking point’.

Victoria’s Health Minister, Martin Foley, said rising birth rates across the state were partly responsible for dozens of reports presented by the Greens, showing Victoria’s maternity system was “at breaking point”.

Data from Victorian health services showed demand for maternity services increased some 20% in parts of the state, compared to a year ago, while a new study in the Medical Journal of Australia indicated Australia could soon be experiencing a wave of new births.

Read the full story by The Guardian’s Matilda Boseley, here.