Mental health and IVF support for families in latest Liberal promises
A commitment to South Australia’s only mental health service for mothers and their babies comes alongside a close to $50 million promise for IVF support funding, the SA Liberals announced today.
The SA Liberals would double the number of beds at South Australia’s only inpatient mental health service where mothers can receive treatment while staying with their babies, the party announced today.
While the party has unveiled a $46.6 million election promise for families looking to undertake IVF treatment to start a family, today announcing a rebate program ahead of the March election.
The dual announcements, made on International Women’s Day, follow last week’s pledge from Labor to spend $33 million to enhance women’s health care in SA, the plan including establishing five dedicated Women’s Health Clinics across the state.
New mothers experiencing mental health crises would be able to access broadened support at the Helen Mayo Clinic if the Liberals win in March, the party claims.
The party would expand the number of beds from six to 12, with Hurn saying the policy was personal.
“I have a close friend who used Helen Mayo House after the birth of both her children, and it made an enormous difference for her family,” Hurn said.
“This is quite simply a life-saving service – but there just aren’t enough places for the women who need it.
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“Keeping mums and babies together during treatment is incredibly important for recovery and those early bonds.”
The expansion would cost $20 million, the party said. It would also expand telehealth triage and early-intervention pathways.
34-year-old Elise Howie said she experienced post-natal psychosis after giving birth to both her children, and spent 11 weeks in Helen Mayo House with her son Charlie.
She said the “space is lovely” but “there simply aren’t enough beds”.
“My case was quite acute and so I got in relatively quickly each time I was admitted, but I still had to spend a week at my local hospital before each admission waiting to get this specialist care,” Howie said.
“So many mothers go through this pain in silence or wait too long for help and, when I was at Helen Mayo, I often felt as though I was taking a spot from someone else.
“We desperately need more inpatient beds so more families can have the same support I was lucky enough to have.”
And state Liberal leader Ashton Hurn said her team wanted to remove cost barriers to starting a family with an IVF funding promise.
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The policy would see a Hurn Liberal Government grant women who incur out-of-pocket costs at private clinics for IVF or Assisted Reproductive Technology treatment a $2000 Fertility Treatment Rebate per cycle and a $250 rebate for pre-IVF testing.
This matches a rebate commitment made by Labor last week, though a Malinauskas Government has promised $18.5 million to the program, compared to the Liberals’ nearly $50 million costing.
Under the Liberal policy, women will be eligible for two rounds of IVF, or $4000, means tested up to a household income of $250,000 – in comparison to the Labor policy which is capped at $180,000.
“Starting a family is such a joy, but for some there are extra hurdles and we don’t want cost to be one of them,” Hurn said.
“When families are supported with the cost of IVF, they are more likely to explore fertility treatment and, hopefully, have success.”
Labor to spend $33m on women’s health care in SA
Last week, the Labor party announced it would spend $33 million to build five dedicated Women’s Health Clinics across the state, if re-elected.
The party’s package also included a “generous” IVF rebate scheme, establishing SA’s first-ever Virtual Pelvic Pain Clinic and a public health endometriosis awareness campaign.
“Women make up 50 per cent of the population, yet their specialist health needs have historically been underfunded, undervalued or inaccessible – so we are acting,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
“It’s time for change.
“Our $33 million package will transform women’s health care in South Australia.”
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