Lack of doctors closes doors to maternity ward in Parkes Hospital

Scores of parents, expectant mums and those who have given birth at the $73 million regional Parkes Hospital are today protesting the closure of its maternity ward. The move comes after they failed to attract doctors to work in the regional town.

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Scores of expecting mums and those who have given birth at Parkes Hospital are today protesting the closure of its maternity ward.

After just three years, the $73 million Parkes hospital has closed its doors to pregnant women.

Instead, the likes of first time mum-to-be Natalie Williams, who is due in October, have been told to travel to Forbes to have their babies.

It is the latest rural maternity unit to be downgraded or closed.

“This is my first baby and it’s a blow. We are a regional town, not remote,” the 31-year-old said.

The town, with a population of 12,000, rallied on Friday to protest the closure of maternity services, which the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) has blamed on an inability to attract new doctors after three retired in recent years.

Parkes can no longer offer emergency Caesareans as a result.

Parkes hospital is the latest rural maternity unit to be closed. Picture: Supplied

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Parkes Mayor Ken Keith said it was due to poor planning and budget cuts because the WNSWLHD has spent more than $6 million on locums.

“It’s extremely disappointing because we fought hard to ensure we had theatres and birthing and maternity in the new hospital,” Mr Keith said.

“This is as much about cost-cutting. We have two new theatres as good as Royal North Shore but it is difficult to get doctors to come to our town.”

The Sunday Telegraph recently reported that the Royal Flying Doctor Service had to fly 1383 preterm pregnant women in a medical emergency from rural areas to a maternity hospital, more than double the number in 2014/15 because of downgrades and closures.

Locals held a rally, putting out baby jumpsuits to represent how many have been born in Parkes Hospital. Picture: Supplied

More than 12,000 people turned out for the rally. Picture: Supplied

Examples of towns in NSW with women aged 18-44 who have to travel more than 60 minutes for maternity services include Coonabarabran with 117 in this age group, Wee Waa (86), Wilcannia (83), Broken Hill (65) and Cobar (44).

Chief Executive of the WNSWLHD Scott McLachlan said the health service had experienced difficulty in securing practitioners with advanced skills in obstetrics and/or anaesthetics.

“We lost all our GP obstetricians to retirement recently and we have been trying to hold it together with locums,” he said.

“In the last 10 years we’ve seen an 80 per cent decrease in obstetricians and anaesthetists, which is no different to other rural towns throughout Australia.”

Beth Herlihy, from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, said the state government “failed to understand the importance of maintaining maternity services as it places women and babies at risk of increased morbidity and mortality”.

“Women in rural areas have seen the closing of maternity units, which results in increased birthing on the side of the road,” Ms Herlihy said.

Bianca McPhee from Condobolin, who gave birth to Ava nine weeks ago at Parkes, joined the rally on Friday calling for full maternity services to return to Parkes hospital.

Brianna, pictured with partner Christopher Reardon and newborn baby Matilda said the move will put mothers at risk.

Bianca McPhee, pictured with her baby Ava who she had at Parkes, also joined the rally.

“Parkes Maternity is driven by amazing staff with great facilities and it would be such a shame to see this service stopped,” she said.

Brianna Reardon from Condobolin, who had her baby Matilda at Parkes last December, said she was also disappointed and the move would put mothers and babies at risk.

“The powers that be are basically putting lives of woman and their babies at risk, not just in Parkes — where the midwives will be without doctors and if complications should arise will have to transfer a mother who is having issues, and her unborn child, in an ambulance to a hospital in a neighbouring town,” she said.

In Parliament this week, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said: “We really want to support women who are giving birth. We want to make sure that they do it safely and that both the women and their babies get the safest and best possible support during the birthing process and the after-care”.

He said a review in 2018 proposed a model where: “Parkes would have low-risk births, basically a midwife-led birthing arrangement but have proper coverage and if they are at a higher risk level they would be transferred to Forbes”.