LNP mum on birthing services’ return in Cooktown
David Crisafulli’s commitment to deliver “world-class” health services is facing a major test with expectant mothers in southern Cape York still being forced to relocate to Cairns and beyond to give birth.
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David Crisafulli’s commitment to deliver “world-class” health services is facing a major test with expectant mothers in southern Cape York still being forced to relocate to Cairns and beyond to give birth.
The LNP matched Labor’s $200m investment to build a new hospital in Cooktown last year with the then opposition leader also pledging to re-open the community birthing suite which has been shut since early 2022.
But more than six months since their landslide victory at the state election, mums are still being forced to travel more than 300km south to access birthing services.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) confirmed a recruitment campaign launched last September had yet to fill multiple roles required for the hospital’s birthing suite to be re-opened.
Finding rural generalist GPs with the right skillset had proven particularly difficult, Member for Cook David Kempton said.
“It closed because they didn’t have the appropriate standard of pediatric care,” Mr Kempton said.
“The issue is similar now. They can’t find pediatricians that are prepared to move.”
Mr Kempton dismissed criticism from opposition leader Steven Miles that the state government’s decision to cut its Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme had hurt its chances of re-establishing birthing services in Cooktown.
“Some might argue that but in our view it wasn’t effective to bring in key people,” Mr Kempton said.
“It was union-based and I don’t think it delivered the standard of candidates it was supposed to.”
TCHHS executive director of medical services Dr Marlow Coates said a nationwide staff shortage made it harder to hire health professionals in remote areas.
“A safe and sustainable birthing service requires a multidisciplinary clinical team,” Dr Coates said.
“This includes midwives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, nurses, allied health, and administration staff, as well as rural generalist GPs with advanced training in obstetrics and anaesthetics.
“We are working to put together a medical team with 24/7 availability of Rural Generalist GPs with obstetric and anaesthetic skills to ensure access to emergency caesarean section and emergency back-up for unforeseen complications during labour and antenatally.”
Last year Mr Crisafulli passionately called for birthing services to return to Cooktown.
“Young mums should be able to give birth in our major regional centres,” he said while visiting the Far North. “I’m offering Queenslanders a focus on having a world-class health service no matter where they live.
“Services can’t keep being stripped away from regional areas.”
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Originally published as LNP mum on birthing services’ return in Cooktown
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