Health ministers have met to discuss a plan to insure private midwives who assist in low-risk home births.

The proposed model mentions “conditional professional indemnity” (PI) cover that would be available to midwives performing low-risk births at home, with a “notation on the midwives’ registration to this effect”.

Although midwives who work for hospitals or medical practices are generally covered by their employers’ insurance, those in private practice have struggled to find cover.

This changed in mid-2010 when the Federal Government finalised an agreement with Medical Insurance Group Australia to introduce PI insurance for midwives.

Medisure Indemnity Australia (MIA) also provides professional indemnity cover for midwives.

MIA has provided midwife cover for just over two years.

Senior underwriter David Augustyniak told insuranceNEWS.com.au that MIA is “doing our best to accommodate midwives in this ongoing issue”.

Although there is strong scientific evidence supporting women giving birth at home, a heated debate continues in medical circles around the safety of home births – particularly when the birth is described as “high risk”.

Australian College of Midwives spokesman Hannah Dahlen has reservations about the extent of insurance coverage in the proposed model.

“If midwives are essentially seen as uninsured when a woman develops a risk factor, then they will be going against registration requirements if they continue care and could be prosecuted or deregistered,” she said.