Emails show D’Ath was invited to meet Gladstone women

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says she is not aware of requests for a meeting to discuss the maternity crisis, even as correspondence confirms them. VOTE IN OUR POLL

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Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says she did not know she had been asked to meet up with the mothers of Gladstone to discuss the maternity crisis following the release of an email chain to The Courier-Mail that indicates her office was well aware of the call for an urgent meeting.

Gladstone mother Jemma Manwaring, who runs the Save Gladstone Maternity Ward group, is furious that the minister has not taken note of her calls for help, and says she has no faith in Ms D’Ath’s department solving the problems.

“I’m not the one picking up the big pay cheques as a top government official but I am working around the clock to try and bring birthing services to the women of Gladstone,” she said.

“I am beyond upset that the minister won’t even acknowledge my correspondence to her office.”

Ms Manwaring sent an email to the minister’s office on January 2 and she received a response on January 5 which said: “Our office can confirm that your request to meet with the minister has been received and is under consideration. A response will be provided will be provided in due course”

On Wednesday Ms Manwaring has still not heard anything from the minister. She said she followed up her email with two phone calls to the Health Minister’s office.

“Wouldn’t any emails on Gladstone go to the top of the list of priorities considering what is going on here,” she said.

Ms D’Ath was asked at a press conference why she hadn’t met with the mothers in Gladstone who had requested to meet with her and she replied “wasn’t aware of the mothers asking to meet with me”.

“I’ve met with the hospital, the chief executive, the board. I’ve met with the midwives, and I’ve spoken to the staff there,” she said.

“I went up there late last year to have a talk to them. I appreciate, as a mother myself, I appreciate that we all want to go to the local hospital to have a child.

“But we also want to make sure that when we get to that hospital we know that they’ve got the doctors and nurses there to deliver our babies safely.”

Asked whether she would meet with them, Ms D’Ath said: “I’m happy to meet with them.”