Extensive service – the mother-child card becomes a digital parent-child card

The mother-child passport is almost 50 years old and has made an important contribution to reducing child mortality in Austria. About 80,000 children are born in Austria each year, including about 50,000 first births. The examinations prescribed in the mother-child passport are mandatory in order to receive the full childcare allowance. In the future, these services will be expanded with psychosocial support, another midwife consultation, an additional ultrasound examination and additional hearing screening in newborns. The offer of parental advice and nutrition and health advice will also be included, Minister of Women and Family Affairs Susanne Raab (ÖVP) and Minister of Health Johannes Rauch (Greens) announced on Wednesday in the press foyer after the Council of Ministers.

Digitization should significantly improve documentation
In addition, the passport will be digitized and the responsible ministries will be networked in their own system, added State Secretary for Digitization Florian Tursky (ÖVP). A one-off sum of ten million euros from EU funds has been reserved for digitisation. Work on this will start next year. Digitization should significantly improve the documentation of the test results. In this way, findings can more easily be passed on electronically between practitioners and midwives.

Digitization also improves security in the event of passport loss. Until now, the mother-child passport in Austria is only available on paper. In the event of loss, the results of examinations and consultations must be requested again. Multilingual information can also be offered digitally more easily to young parents.

Free services are being expanded
Future parent guidance will be carried out by the 400 existing family guidance centres. Topics such as parental leave, maternity leave, childcare allowance, paternity leave, the effects of part-time work on pensions, pension splitting and work resumption should be addressed. “I am pleased that we are expanding the free services that should come with the mother-child card and are now presenting a modern and digitized parent-child card. In addition to the healthcare services, we are going to introduce parent advice, which should be a compass for new parents. for the new phase of life,” said Raab.

The annual budget for the mother-child pass service is approximately 62 million euros. Two-thirds come from the Family Expenses Equalization Fund, one-third from social security. The costs for the additional services depend on the use of advice and rate negotiations with the service providers. The decision of the Council of Ministers stipulates that the social insurance will conduct negotiations with the Medical Association.

The Federal Curia of physicians residing in the Medical Association recently passed a resolution according to which the termination of the mother-child pass as health insurance would be declared at the end of the year if higher rates were not agreed by then.

Rauch is sure: “People will agree”
Rauch confirmed that there would be higher rates. He could not anticipate the negotiations, which are a matter of social security. But “we will come to an agreement,” Rauch said. He described the reform as a “big hit”. “We have succeeded in bringing all interests and wishes under one roof and investing heavily in the health of parents and children.”