Midwives return to Weipa Hospital for first time since 1990s

Nurses and midwives will return to work and deliver babies at one of Queensland’s most isolated hospitals for the first time in 30 years following a breakthrough result for The Sunday Mail’s campaign to fix the rural maternity crisis.

There has been a huge breakthrough in Queensland’s rural birthing crisis, with nurses and midwives set to return to Weipa Hospital for the first time since the 1990s. Picture: istock

NURSES and midwives will return to work and deliver babies at Weipa Hospital for the first time in 30 years following a breakthrough result for the rural maternity crisis.

There have been no babies born at Weipa Hospital since the 90s, forcing pregnant women to leave home weeks before their due date and travel over 800 kms to Cairns to give birth.

Shocking revelations printed in The Sunday Mail, including stories of expecting mums handed DIY birthing kits, have driven leaders into action, with the Queensland Government deciding to reinstate birthing services.

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This is the first move by the government’s Rural Maternity Taskforce, set up by Health Minister Steven Miles following reports of the high number of deaths in areas where women had lost local services.

The Sunday Mail has been campaigning for better birthing in rural Queensland since last August.

Today, the government has announced that they have hired 82 new nurses and midwives across the entire Torres and Cape HHS, including nine for Weipa Hospital alone.

“We’re currently investigating the feasibility of establishing a birthing facility in Weipa,” Mr Miles said.

“This is one of the key actions to arise from the Rural Maternity Taskforce, which has been working hard to ensure maternity services in Queensland’s regional communities are safe and sustainable.

“The taskforce is all about finding ways to reinforce existing birthing services and open new ones where there is sufficient demand and ability to attract staff.”

Health Minister Steven Miles set up the Rural Maternity Taskforce in response to the bush baby crisis. Picture: AAP/Dan Peled

The news has been welcomed by the Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui who said the reintroduction of a birthing service at Weipa has been the communities “priority for many years”.

“I would love to see mums and bubs be able to experience the whole antenatal, birthing and post-natal care at Weipa Hospital,” she said.

“Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service’s new Director of Midwifery, who was appointed last month, is now overseeing a formal business case to reinstate birthing.”

She said women and families from the community of Weipa and surrounding areas will be consulted to ensure services considered are tailored to their needs.

Mr Miles said the Cairns Hospital would remain the principal service for women with higher risk pregnancies.

“While there is excellent antenatal and post-natal care in the region, there is no actual birthing facility so pregnant women have to travel to Cairns to give birth,” he said.

“It’s estimated that each year, a low-risk service in Weipa could be used by up to 70 mothers from Western Cape communities including Napranum, Mapoon and Aurukun.”

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui says she is happy that a birthing service is now available in Weipa. Picture: Brendan Radke

The progress on the proposed low-risk birthing service in Weipa will be outlined at the Maternity Summit in June.

Latest Queensland Health figures also reveal midwife numbers have jumped nearly 40 per cent across Queensland in the past four years.

New Queensland Health figures reveal there were 1,820 full-time equivalent midwife positions on the most recent reported pay cycle in April this year compared with 1,318 in February 2015.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said FTE figures only captured staffing levels at a single point within a pay cycle and did not reflect the number of positions available at a hospital and health service.