It s the billion-dollar problem causing serious issues for Australian children and raising alarms for policy-makers.
A new study by the Women and Infants Research Foundation and the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance has put the annual cost of premature births at $1.4 billion.
A quarter of the cost identified in the study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, comes from the educational assistance needed for children who were born premature.
The cost of premature births in Australia has been released in a new study, costing a whopping $1.4 billion (stock)
While many preterm births are unplanned or unavoidable for medical reasons, experts are concerned by a dramatic rise in avoidable early-term births.
âSlipping in the wrong directionâ: Early C-sections causing unnecessary risk
Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
Dismiss
Save
Normal text size
Advertisement
High numbers of caesarean births are being scheduled for a week or two before a babyâs due date, worrying gynaecologists and obstetricians who say the practice puts newborns at unnecessary risk of short- and long-term health impacts.
Roughly half of caesarean section births performed before 39 weeks were booked without a medical justification in 2017, according to a national report.
Babies born at scheduled early caesareans are being placed at unnecessary risk, warn experts.
Slipping in the wrong direction : Early C-sections causing unnecessary risk brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.