AMAQ reveals maternity crisis has hit new catastrophic levels at Rockhampton Hospital

A mass obstetrician walkout at a major Queensland hospital is sparking fears of more baby deaths and harm to mothers in the state’s crumbling health system, with two nearby facilities’ maternity services on bypass.

• Desperate couples turn to YouTube to deliver babies

Only one obstetric specialist remains on staff at the birthing epicentre of Central Queensland with revelations of a mass walkout at Rockhampton Hospital.

The shock escalation of the region’s maternity crisis has sparked fears of more baby deaths and harm to mothers just months after a damning report found that there was inadequate care in Mackay.

With Gladstone Hospital and Biloela maternity services both on bypass, women are being directed to Rockhampton Hospital to give birth.

The state’s peak medical body has reported that obstetricians from Gladstone, which has been on bypass for 170 days, have been sent to Rockhampton to help cover rosters following the recent exits of three out of four of the hospital’s obstetric doctors.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Maria Boulton told The Courier-Mail that shifting staff was not going to fix the crumbling maternity sector and keep women and babies safe.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Maria Boulton.

The state is in the middle of a shortage of obstetricians which is compounded with big money being offered to doctors to do locum work outside of the state.

One locum recruitment agency is offering a staggering $68,000 for an obstetrician/gynaecologist to work interstate for 17 days in January.

Rockhampton is covering hundreds more births a year due to services in the region having been closed or put on bypass.

Gladstone alone typically would deliver 600 babies each year.

Women from the Biloela and Theodore catchments also land in Rockhampton.

Sources at Rockhampton hospital say the pressure on staff has become untenable.

Sources inside Rockhampton Hospital say the pressure on staff has become untenable.

Staff claim the hospital is forced to take “unsafe transfers” from other hospitals and they are petrified of disastrous outcomes as experienced by staff in the Mackay Hospital crisis.

“Queensland Health needs to be open and transparent with patients and staff about what is going on,” Dr Boulton said.

“We can’t keep fobbing patients off by saying it’s under control when it clearly isn’t and we can’t keep shuffling staff around to fill vacancies, leaving other hospitals short staffed.

“We need real, long-term solutions to attract and retain doctors, nurses and midwives in regional Queensland.”

Dr Boulton visited the region in October and reported back to Queensland Health that doctors were fatigued, burnt out and some were considering leaving.

The AMAQ is concerned too that the recent resignations at Rockhampton have left four trainee doctors without a training supervisor.

Biloela hospital won't have be delivering babies until July 3.

The Maternity Consumer Network has been in constant contact with women from the Central Queensland region who are terrified with the uncertainty.

“In my view the government is working to centralise maternity services to Rockhampton,” Alecia Staines from the network said.

“I am aware of Gladstone-based obstetricians having to work in Rockhampton and talk to their Gladstone patients via telehealth from Rocky.

“This is ludicrous.

“We are very concerned about the lack of action and decent services.

“This will be Mackay the 2nd and a mother or baby will die.”

A damning report in September revealed substandard obstetrics and gynaecology services in Mackay had led to at least three infant deaths.

Queensland Health is adamant it is doing all it can to staff the region’s maternity units.

Gladstone Hospital.

Dr Emma McCahon, chief executive of Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, confirmed that there had been doctor resignations at Rockhampton but denied that Gladstone doctors were doing shifts there.

“Some staff specialists have resigned from Rockhampton Hospital in recent months due to family reasons and other career ­opportunities,” Dr McCahon said.

“During this time, the hospital has maintained a full roster of specialists.

“We have recruited four new specialists who will join the maternity team next year.

“Our service, like many others across Queensland and the country, has been impacted by shortages of specialist obstetric and gynaecology doctors.”

Queensland Health confirmed that it had rolled out a pilot program at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital to recruit obstetrics and gynaecology specialists on a “voluntary” basis to travel to regional communities on a rotational basis.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli told The Courier-Mail that the situation in Central Queensland was “an unthinkable failure for women in a modern Queensland”.

“Giving birth in your local hospital should be a basic right but instead expectant mums tell us of the stress this failure puts on them,” he said.

“Central Queensland shouldn’t be subject to these third-world conditions,” he said.