A new private health provider set to deliver low-cost surgical abortions in Tasmania is scheduled to start taking referrals in the coming weeks, the Health Department has confirmed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It comes more than eight months after the state’s primary private abortion clinic, located in Hobart, closed its doors.
Health Department secretary Michael Pervan said the new private provider was on schedule to start taking referrals in the coming weeks, for a fortnightly service with a standard charge of $475.
However, with more than 75 woman travelling to Melbourne for abortions this year, labor have renewed calls for terminations to be done in the state’s public hospitals.
How we got here:
Tasmania’s primary private abortion clinic, Specialist Gynaecology Centres, closed its Hobart doors in January.
At the time owner Dr Paul Hyland said the decision to close was based on the combined affects of increased access to contraception and medical abortion through online self-referral providers such as the Tabbot Foundation, and rising costs.
In the state’s North, Launceston’s only abortion provider Specialist Medical Centres Tasmania, closed its doors in May 2016.
Dr Hyland said changed laws around the licensing of day surgeries, combined with additional costs of insurance, accreditation and compliance had pushed the cost of a surgical abortion to $500 – double what it was in 2013.
The closures sparked concerns that women seeking surgical abortions would be forced to travel interstate.
In January, the state government announced that woman referred for a surgical abortion interstate would be able to access the patient transport assistance scheme, to help cover the costs of travel.
At the time, Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the “temporary” measure was being put in place by the Health Department, while other service options were explored.
New termination services in Tasmania were expected to commence in October, after the Health Department reached an in-principle, five-year agreement with a private provider in July.
In Parliament on July 3, Mr Ferguson tabled a report on surgical terminations in Tasmania, concluding abortion services should be centred on patients and their families, equitable, affordable, timely and accessible.
On Wednesday, Health Department secretary Michael Pervan said it had taken longer than expected for the new private provider to reach agreement with a local surgical facility, but he was hopeful it would be finalised shortly.
The Patient Transport and Travel Assistance Scheme will be available for intrastate travel to the service.
While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox. Sign up here.
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
