Dr Petrina Barson, Dr Arete Kouteris, and Dr Angela Hawkins have postgraduate qualifications in Obstetrics for General Practitioners, and so are able to provide shared ante-natal care for patients who are booked to give birth as public patients at:
- The Royal Women’s Hospital
- The Mercy Hospital for Women
- The Northern Hospital
- The Western Hospital.
Women can choose shared care if the hospital doctors decide that their pregnancy is low-risk. This means that women with multiple pregnancy, or who develop conditions such as hypertension or gestational diabetes, or who have had complicated medical or obstetric histories, may not be eligible.
For those eligible women who choose shared care, the benefits are that they can have continuity of care for mother and baby with their own doctor, in a convenient and familiar environment. They attend the hospital for a few key visits during their pregnancy, but the remainder of their visits are with their chosen doctor at Merri-bek Family Doctors.
