A report released today by APEX highlights significant
regional disparities in access to prenatal (pregnancy)
ultrasound services across the country, ongoing sonographer
workforce issues, and the case for full funding of public
obstetric ultrasound services.

APEX is the specialist
union for over 6,000 allied, scientific and technical
employees, including over 350 sonographers employed by
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and private radiology

The new report Prenatal
Ultrasound in Aotearoa: An Image of
Inequalities reveals additional
co-payments – exceeding $150 per scan in some cases –
are deterring some pregnant women from accessing these vital
scans, resulting in preventable adverse outcomes for both
mothers and babies. Especially impacted by lack of access
are those who cannot afford co-payments, overwhelmingly
Māori, Pacific, and disabled women.

Ultrasounds

Best practice obstetric guidance
recommends two routine ultrasounds: at the 12- and 20-week
marks. These scans are critical for monitoring the health of
mothers and babies, allowing early detection of
abnormalities so that appropriate and timely care plans can
be implemented.

Missed scans mean risks are
dramatically increased, requiring emergency transfers,
delayed medical interventions, and avoidable death in the
most tragic cases.

Eligibility for funding for
prenatal ultrasounds is a postcode lottery depending on
where in New Zealand a pregnant woman

Full funding –
Southern, South Canterbury, West Coast, Nelson Marlborough,
Whanganui, Tairāwhiti and the Eastern Bay of
Plenty.Partial funding – Capital
and Coast, Hutt, Wairarapa, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay,
Taranaki, Midcentral, Northland, Counties Manukau and the
Western Bay of Plenty.No funding –
Lakes, Waikato, Auckland and Waitematā.

New Zealand has previously estimated that fully funding
maternity ultrasounds across all districts would cost $26.5
million annually; just $1.8 million over the spend on the
current patchwork subsidy model. This modest investment
would significantly improve health outcomes for mothers and
babies across the country. It would also allow early
diagnosis and timely intervention, reducing downstream costs
and the overall financial burden on our public health

Case for Change

APEX’s report urges
the government to act swiftly in implementing a nationally
consistent, fully funded model of prenatal ultrasound care
and supporting the expansion of the sonographer

“We already have six and a half districts
providing fully funded ultrasounds, but it makes sense to
fully fund ultrasounds across all of New Zealand,” said Dr
Deborah Powell, APEX National Secretary.

“Our report
highlights the challenges faced by New Zealand’s
sonography workforce, including significant shortages and
limited training opportunities. These issues create
further bottlenecks in the patient pathway, delaying
critical diagnosis and intervention. But the report also
highlights a key opportunity; better supporting reporting
sonographers through a recognised and safe advanced practice
framework,” continued Dr Powell.

“A fully funded
model is just one piece of the puzzle. To fully realise the
benefits and ensure consistent access to ultrasound, Health
New Zealand must also invest in filling sonographer
vacancies, lifting training capacity, and supporting them
into advanced practice,” concluded Dr

……………………………

is Sonography?

Sonography,
also known as diagnostic medical ultrasound, is a medical
imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to
produce 3-D images of internal body parts, to assist with
diagnosis and

Sonographers are
highly skilled frontline practitioners trained in the
specific branch of ultrasound medical imaging, for obstetric
(pregnancy) and other purposes.

Sonographer is accredited role where the
sonographer is endorsed to work autonomously to authorise
final clinical sonography reports. The Reporting Sonographer
acts as the primary responsible practitioner for the
examination and final report, although appropriate
supervision is still available where necessary – for
example, for complex clinical

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Original source: nz