Mum of two, Anna Tennant, joins rally against Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward closure

Shocked and frustrated mother of two slams Children’s Ward closure and says its a waste of resources and an unfair burden on Gympie families to force them to travel an hour to the Sunshine Coast to see a paediatrician.

Anna Tennant with husband Dean Tennant and children Hazel and Hartley. Picture: Sharlee Hunter

A Gympie mother of two has joined others in the region to speak out about the closure of the Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward.

Almost every winter as a child, Anna Tennant was admitted to the Children’s Ward for her asthma and now makes trips with her son who also suffers from asthma.

After first hearing the news of the hospital’s loss of paediatric services, Mrs Tennant said she thought it was a rumour.

“I couldn't imagine why they would get rid of it,” Mrs Tennant said.

“When I looked into it and realised it was true. I was shocked and posted the online petition to stop it from happening.”

Mrs Tennant said she was “disappointed” and “confused” when she discovered Gympie region families would no longer be offered services through the ward.

“All of our admissions have been in the middle of the night, and it would be very frustrating to be sent to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in the middle of the night for something non-critical,” she said.

“Gympie is growing rapidly, it would make sense to put more paediatric doctors on at the hospital here.

“It’s such a waste of resource to send patients to the Coast when they’re not critical.”

Anna Tennant with husband Dean Tennant and children Hazel and Hartley. Picture: Sharlee Hunter

As a devoted mother to five-year-old son Hartley and three-year-old daughter Hazel, Mrs Tennant said she was concerned for her children if they required the care of the Children's Ward.

“Kids feel most secure when they're close to home, and without a paediatric ward that’s not possible, it becomes a huge burden on the whole family,” she said.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett plans to discuss investment in the Gympie Hospital and its services, after the hospital failed to get a mention in Qld Health’s record-breaking budget this year.

“The health services should be getting better, not worse,” Mr Perrett said on Thursday.

“It’s important that as part of that record $21 billion spend in Queensland Health, that the Gympie Hospital gets its fair share and the upgrades it deserves.”

Tony Perret MP standing out the front of the Gympie Hospital

A petition to save the Children’s Ward has more than 1200 signatures and is sponsored by Mr Perrett. It will be tabled in Queensland Parliament in late August or early September.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION