The parent-child pass (formerly: mother-child pass) has been around for 50 years. The passport for preventative health care for pregnant women and small children is “a milestone in medical history,” as Medical Association President Johannes Steinhart emphasized at a press conference.
The main aim of introducing 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, infant mortality in Austria fell by around 40 percent. This trend continued: in 2008 the infant mortality rate was 3.7 per thousand, today it is 2.4 per thousand. The mother-child pass also brought “sensational” successes when it came to maternal mortality, as Linz gynecologist Thomas Fiedler, chairman of the gynecology specialist group, explained. Before the introduction of the mother-child pass, 36 women died in childbirth per year; today there are 2.3 cases per year. The free program is successful because it is accepted almost completely, says Fiedler. The final impulse is the financial incentive system, because the examinations required in the mother-child pass are mandatory in order to receive full childcare allowance.
However, doctors see a gap in preventive care after the age of five, when the parent-child pass ends. The regular preventive care program only starts from the age of 18. “A lot happens, especially between the ages of five and 18,” says the chairman of the pediatrics specialist group, Bernhard Jochum.
Always new offers
Regular examinations could detect orthopedic problems such as scoliosis in the spine or misalignment of the feet at an early stage. From the doctors’ point of view, given the increasing problem of obesity, it would also make sense to provide nutritional advice in children. The examinations could be linked to checking the vaccination status in order to close existing vaccination gaps, said Jochum, but at the same time emphasized that additional examinations would be difficult to implement given the existing staff shortage in pediatricians’ practices. The Medical Association also points out the question of feasibility with regard to additional examinations during pregnancy, such as organ screening.
The mother-child pass was introduced in 1974 under the then Health Minister Ingrid Leodolter. The parent-child pass has been digitalized since January of this year. At the same time, the scope of services will be expanded to include additional offers during pregnancy and for newborns by 2025. The current voluntary parental advice has already begun.
You can read an editorial on the topic on page 4
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