The parent-child pass (formerly: mother-child pass) has been around for 50 years. From the perspective of the Medical Association, this is a cause for celebration, because the health care passport for pregnant women and small children is “a medical-historical milestone,” as President of the Medical Association Johannes Steinhart emphasized on Monday. The doctors would still like to see an expansion.
The main purpose of the introduction of the yellow mother-child booklet in 1974 was to reduce infant and maternal mortality. This goal was quickly achieved: just five years after its introduction, child mortality in Austria fell by about 40 percent, as Steinhart points out. This trend continued: in 2008 the infant mortality rate was 3.7 per thousand, now it is 2.4 per thousand.
The mother-child pass also brought “sensational” successes in maternal mortality, as Thomas Fiedler, chairman of the gynecology specialist group, explained. Before the introduction of the mother-child pass, 36 women died during childbirth every year; there are 2.3 cases per year. The free program is successful because it is almost completely accepted, Fiedler says. The final impetus is the system of financial incentives, because the exams required in the mother-child pass are mandatory to receive the childcare allowance in full.
Austria is at the forefront of preventive medicine
“Almost no other country in Europe can provide such good preventive care for mother and child,” said the chairman of the local doctors, Edgar Wutscher. Austria is therefore at the forefront of preventive medicine in Europe.
Difference between 5 and 18 years
However, doctors see a gap in preventive care after age five, when the parent-child bond ends. The regular preventive care program only starts from the age of 18. “A lot happens especially between the ages of 5 and 18,” says the chairman of the pediatrics specialist group, Bernhard Jochum. Regular examinations can help detect orthopedic problems such as scoliosis in the spine or misalignment of the feet early. From the perspective of the medical association, nutritional advice for children would also be useful given the increasing problem of obesity.
The studies could be linked to checking vaccination status to close existing vaccination gaps, Jochum said, while emphasizing that additional studies would be difficult to conduct given existing staff shortages in pediatric practices. With regard to additional examinations during pregnancy, such as organ screening, the Medical Association also points to the question of feasibility within existing capacities and financial feasibility.
Passport already digitized, more offers to come
The mother-child pass was introduced in 1974 under the then Minister of Health Ingrid Leodolter. The parent-child pass has been digitalized since January this year. At the same time, the range of services will be expanded by 2025 with additional offers during pregnancy and for newborns; the current voluntary parent guidance service has already started.
Source: Krone
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