Local MP supports new petition to save Children’s Ward

The mother of a Mary Valley teenager with a rare and chronic autoimmune disease has vowed to fight the shock decision to shut the Gympie Hospital children’s ward, and plans to take her fight all the way to Parliament

The mother of a Mary Valley teenager with a rare and chronic autoimmune disease has vowed to fight the shock decision to shut the Gympie Hospital children‘s ward, and plans to take her fight all the way to Parliament. Photo: Emily McGourty​

A Mary Valley mother of three who started a change.org petition to save the Gympie Hospital children’s ward has the support of MP Tony Perrett after it was discovered her previous petition had almost no government authority.

Emily McGourty launched the petition after The Gympie Times broke the news the paediatric unit at the Gympie Hospital had closed on May 19, and faced permanent closure due to an undersupply of paediatric doctors.

The move has shocked the Gympie community, with families now forced to take their children to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital more than 90km away.

Ms McGourty relies on paediatricians to help her 15-year-old son Jaxon, who suffers from the chronic medical condition, juvenile dermatomyositis.

“It’s a one-in-a-million autoimmune disease,” she said.

The condition causes muscle weakness and rashes as a result of inflamed blood vessels, muscles and skin.

“It’s not just about my son, it’s about people presenting to emergency with minor injuries or issues and because we don’t have a paediatric doctor on call, you’re just automatically taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital,” Ms McGourty said.

Despite getting 2000 signatures on her original petition, Ms McGourty has learned a change.org petition has little to no government authority, meaning State Health Minister Yvette D’Ath was under no obligation to respond, no matter how many signatures called for the ward to stay open.

Mr Perrett has stepped in to back Ms McGourty’s efforts, sponsoring an e-parliamentary petition.

“It will be joined to a paper petition which will then be dropped around town to businesses,” Ms McGourty said.

If this new petition receives enough signatures, she says she hopes the Health Minister will respond and the ward will be reopened.