Are mums and babies really better off in private hospitals?

When having a baby, there are lots of decisions to be made about maternity care, and barriers depending on your socio-economic situation.

A new study has highlighted a worrying issue – finding higher adverse health outcomes in standard public maternity care.

However there have been criticisms about how the paper compared the two sectors, and whether it’s a fair contrast.

Guest/s

• Professor Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery at Western Sydney University

References

• Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes and Health System Costs in Standard Public Maternity Care Compared to Private Obstetric-Led Care: A Population-Level Matched Cohort Study
• Is childbirth really safer for women and babies in private hospitals? - the Conversation