Maternity Qld: Regional mums opting for surgery or inductions rather than wait for weeks in another town

Regional Queensland women are choosing to book in for Caesareans at alarming rates rather than wait in another town for up to month to give birth naturally, as multiple services remain on bypass, with more to come.

Regional Queensland women are choosing to book in for Caesareans and inductions at alarming rates rather than wait in another town for up to a month to give birth, according to a lead patient advocate.

Of the 41 birthing services across the state three have “reduced services”, they are Biloela, Chinchilla and Cooktown and Weipa has not been able to commence its service due to being unable to attract staff, according to Queensland Health.

Ingham will soon join the list and be on bypass to Townsville hospital, expectant mothers have been told.

Maternity Consumer Network founder Alecia Staines said that despite assurances from former Health Minister Steven Miles that no more maternity units would close, more and more units are going on bypass.

Ingham Hospital will soon be on bypass. Picture: Cameron Bates

“Look what we’ve had, Chinchilla is on bypass, Biloela is on bypass, Cooktown is on bypass, Weipa’s got problems and now Ingham is on bypass, it’s becoming a moonscape out there,” she said.

Expectant mothers have been told they’ll face travelling the notoriously dangerous stretch of road between Ingham and Townsville at 38 weeks in order to have their babies.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service confirmed this week that Ingham hospital would go on intermittent periods of bypass over the next few months due to planned staff leave and ongoing recruitment.

“It’s part of your identity to have your town on your birth certificate and I can only imagine culturally for Indigenous people how much more affiliation they would have to their local area.

“What we’re seeing though, is women booking in for Caesareans, because that way they knew they didn’t have to wait to add another town for a month.

“Inductions were the same, ‘I’ll go get my induction because then I know when I’m having my baby, I’ve got to get the other kids looked after’.”

Alecia Staines from the Maternity Consumer Network Management Committee in Mackay.

Ms Staines said it was not good enough that women felt forced into birthing options with little to no choice.

The Courier-Mail reported last week that internal health documents revealed six hospitals in the state had gone on maternity bypass on about 20 occasions between the start of May 2022 and the end of May this year.

This included Ingham Hospital and reasons provided included “fatigue”, “unsustainable” on-call burdens, and obstetric medical officers being on sudden leave.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kieran Keyes said Ingham maternity services would “experience temporary periods of bypass over the next few months” due to planned staff leave and ongoing recruitment for specialist medical staff.

“The maternity service at the Ingham Health Service is not going on extended bypass, there will be periods with planned interruptions to the low-risk birthing service available to mothers in this community,” he said.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service CEO Kieran Keyes.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said her department was “throwing everything” at the crippling workforce shortages besieging maternity units.

Ms Fentiman said midwives would still be providing antenatal and post-natal care at the hospital.

She referenced recent announcements of $16 million to expand midwifery group practice and $42 million for rural and regional maternity services as evidence the government was serious about fixing it.

Opposition David Crisafulli was born at Ingham hospital and said it was a “deeply personal”
issue for him.

“We are seeing a stream of small regional hospital that are going offline and being closed because the government can’t plan and deliver its services, mums in that area deserve the right to be able to have a baby where they have for generations,” he said.