Protest outside Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher’s office as birthing ward bypass reaches 165 days

Mothers have banded together outside of their MP’s office to demand action at Gladstone Hospital as they prepare to give birth away from home over Christmas.

A Gladstone mother has revealed she’s scared the labour of her second child will be traumatic during a rally to mark 165 days since birthing services were “taken away”.

A crowd of expectant mothers and advocates met outside Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher’s office on Monday and the fear and anger in their voices were unmistakeable.

Mr Butcher faced the protesters and apologised to women who had been forced to birth in Rockhampton.

He then advocated to disband the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service and localise health bureaucracy in Gladstone.

More than 50 residents protested outside Gladstone MP, Glenn Butcher's office on Monday morning. Picture: Nilsson Jones

Mr Butcher’s apology comes 165 days after a full bypass was declared for Gladstone Hospital’s maternity unit, forcing expectant mothers to journey north along an infamous stretch of the Bruce Hwy to give birth.

Amid mounting pressure on Mr Butcher as well as the State Government to rectify the situation, he said the “last thing he wanted to see” was women travelling long distances to give birth near Christmas.

A Gladstone mother speaking at the rally recounted the “beautiful” water birth of her first child before she fought back tears to express the anxiety she felt during her second pregnancy.

“I’m just getting really scared that I’m not going to be able to have that, (my first birth) wasn’t traumatic it was beautiful and I’m scared it’s going to be the opposite,” she told the crowd.

Birthing service advocates read aloud testimonies from expectant mothers and women who have recently birthed as they called for an end to the bypass. Picture: Nilsson Jones

“Now I’m scared of being shipped up to Rocky, or have to stay up there in an unfamiliar environment and risk having interventions I didn’t want to have in an attempt to have a baby because Gladstone birthing facilities have been taken away.

“It was less than two years ago, how does this happen so quickly, I don’t understand … when I fell pregnant I thought surely by March 2023 it (maternity services) will be happening again.”

Mr Butcher said he has urged Health Minister Yvette D’Ath to disband the CQHHS board and re-establish a separate Gladstone board.

Gladstone MP, Glenn Butcher's addressed the crowd of more than 50 people and reiterated his commitment to restoring services. Picture: Nilsson Jones

“The CQHHS Board also needs to be held accountable for this … we need to separate them (Gladstone and Rockhampton) and absolutely I’ll support it,” Mr Butcher said.

“We need to separate Central Queensland Health so Gladstone can look after Biloela, Theodore, Moura and Rockhampton can look after Yeppoon and out to Emerald,” he said.

Mr Butcher said disbanding the bureaucracy would be a “longer part of the project” but in the meantime the focus was to recruit and recall obstetricians to Gladstone.

He confirmed he met with Ms D’Ath during her visit to Gladstone Hospital on Tuesday last week.

Protesters held signs calling for Mr Butcher’s resignation as the bypass reached 165 days. Picture: Nilsson Jones

Mr Butcher said discussions have included recruiting obstetricians from outside of Australia, and using a part of the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 to pay Brisbane-based Queensland Health staff as private practitioners and deploy them to Gladstone temporarily.

A spokesman inside Ms Dath‘s office said Queensland Health was using several strategies to recruit staff to Gladstone from incentives to advertising internationally.

“It was a topic of conversation when ... (she) met with the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service board Chair and Chief Executive recently in Gladstone,” the spokesman said.

“The Palaszczuk Government has committed to hiring more than 9,000 health professionals within this term of government alone and is on track to achieve that goal,” he said.

The Gladstone health board was amalgamated into CQHHS in the late 2000’s.