Tony Perrett, Llew O’Brien demand answers on Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward closure

With 35 schools in the Gympie region and a growing population, Gympie’s highest political leaders have taken the State Government to task over a ‘lack of transparency’ around the closure of Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward in a joint letter to Health Minister Yvette D’Ath.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett (top) and Wide Bay Mp Llew O’Brien (bottom) have ramped up the fight to save Gympie’s Childrens’ Ward from closure, sending a joint letter to Health Minister Yvette D'Ath (middle) calling for her to reinstate the service.

Gympie’s political leaders have called on Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath to reverse the “ill-conceived” and “logic defying” closure of Gympie Hospital’s Children’s Ward in a joint letter sent to the Redcliffe MP.

In the letter sent last week, Gympie MP Tony Perrett and Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien decried a lack of transparency around the fate of the ward, saying without the service the region’s families were left with no choice but to make an hour-long trek for healthcare.

“This is an ill-conceived decision that will haves a significant and lasting impact on families in the Gympie region, and it defies logic given Gympie and the surrounding areas are experiencing significant growth,” the pair said.

“This forces families of sick children to travel an hour or more south for treatment, often placing undue stress and pressure on loved ones.

“It adds to the burden of having an unwell child, particularly during lengthy stays in which families may be separated by this distance.”

The status of the Children’s Ward has come under scrutiny in the past few months and The Gympie Times has campaigned strenuously to ensure the closure is not permanent.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett and Federal Wide Bay MP Llew O'Brien say without the ward families in the region face having to trek an hour south just to seek healthcare for their children.

Parents have reported being forced to take children to Nambour or the Sunshine Coast.

A petition calling for the ward to remain open was launched online and has so far drawn more than 3000 signatures.

It is understood the Gympie Hospital is struggling to attract paediatricians to the provide the service.

Ms D’Ath said on Friday the Gympie Hospital “continues to provide care to paediatric patients on site” and the Women’s and Children’s Directorate “has oversight of this service along with all paediatric services across the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service region”.

“This includes ensuring the availability of specialist paediatric clinical staff at Gympie to care for children,” Ms D’Ath said.

“In addition to emergency department assessment and care, outpatient and targeted bed-based services are also provided for children at Gympie. Children requiring specialist paediatric care are transferred to Sunshine Coast University Hospital.”

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says Gympie Hospital continues to provide paediatric care on site, and the State Government’s latest budget delivered a record $1.35 billion for the Sunshine Coast health and Hospital Service. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The State Government’s recent budget delivered a record $1.35 billion for the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, she said.

Mr Perrett and Mr O’Brien also pointed to record Federal Government funding for the Sunshine Coast region in their letter, up from $136.3 million in 2012-13 to an expected $430.4 million by 2024-25.

This, along with Ms D’Ath’s comments of a record $22.2 billion health budget, left them with a question: “Why should these thousands of Gympie families be denied access to basic local health services provided in a dedicated paediatric ward that are given to children on the Sunshine Coast or in Brisbane?”

“There are 35 high schools and primary schools in the Gympie region, with a combined 7971 students based on 2019 figures – and thousands more children and babies below school age.

“Living as they do in a regional area, there is not the luxury of choice to simply attend a different hospital, as their city counterparts might choose to do.”

The two Gympie MPs said Gympie families must not be left disadvantaged and it was within Ms D’Ath’s remit as Minister to “to reinstate the Gympie Hospital Children’s Ward to its full capacity, including the provision of a dedicated paediatrician, nurses and support staff for children at the hospital”.