Heath Service says Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward will reopen

Residents of the Gympie region have voiced their overwhelming opinion that reopening the Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward was ‘critically’ important to the community. The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service has promised this will happen, but not everyone is convinced.

When The Gympie Times reported in May 2021, that the Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward had been closed and would likely stay closed because of a lack of paediatricians, residents were shocked and angry.

It represented the loss of another vital service to this region and has meant the parents of unwell children and even newborn babies have been forced to travel 100km south to get the hospital treatment they need.

The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service said it was unable to get the paediatric specialists needed to staff the Children’s Ward, and refused to guarantee the ward would reopen.

The Gympie Times refused to accept that.

This month, after months of campaigning and demanding answers, and telling the stories of the families most affected by this closure, The Gympie Times received official confirmation that wheels were in motion to restaff and reopen the Gymp;ie Hospital Children’s Ward.

In a poll which Gympie Times readers were invited to vote on, they were asked to rate the importance of having a functional and fully staffed Children’s Ward.

A landslide response showed 88 per cent believed it was “critically important” to the Gympie region.

At the time of publishing on October 8, 2021, 72 people had voted in the poll.

A SCHHS spokesperson said the service planned to “increase medical coverage” of the Children’s Ward from the end of October, though Gympie MP Tony Perrett has said publicly he would believe that when he saw it.

Gympie Hospital emergency department.Photo Tanya Easterby / The Gympie Times

“SCHHS is committed to paediatric services for Gympie Hospital,” they said.

“SCHHS is planning to expand the scope and types of paediatric patients to be managed as inpatients at Gympie Hospital.

“Plans are in place to increase the medical coverage to enable 24/7 care and admission into the paediatric ward.

Save the Children's Ward!

“This is expected to begin at the end October 2021, subject to recruitment.”

Kandanga mother Emily McGourty, who started two petitions to save the ward, said she was “ecstatic” at the promise of increased services.

“I would be absolutely rapt for our community if that’s the case,” she said.

Ms McGourty’s son, 15-year-old Jaxon, was directly affected by the ward closure as he relied on it for monthly treatments for a rare autoimmune disease.

Emily McGourty led the charge to save the Children’s Ward with two petitions collecting more than 8000 signatures. The Health Minister is expected to respond to those petitions this month. Photo: Elizabeth Neil

In August, two petitions started by Ms McGourty were tabled in parliament by Gympie MP Tony Perrett.

A now expired online petition garnered 3276 signatures, along with 1500 signatures on paper petitions, and roughly 3300 signatures on a Change.org petition.

Ms McGourty said she hoped the next step in improving the hospital would be upgrading facilities, such as the maternity ward.

Nicole Kennedy at the Gympie Hospital Maternity Unit with her daughter Tjarli Link.

“The big issue here is keeping a health system that is viable for our region, and ultimately we are in a hospital that is due for an upgrade,” she said.

“The staff are impeccable and we are very blessed and lucky to have such qualified staff up here, but it comes down to money … and facilities are ageing.”

Mr Perrett said while the news sounded promising, he had his doubts.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.

His office said on Wednesday a formal response to the petition from Health Minister Yvette D’Ath was expected on Thursday.