Kimberley Brown and Kim Goodrick launch Facebook page calling for border medical passes

Two families are demanding state health departments clear a path through confusing border lockdown regulations after suffering tragedy and despair.

Two Northern Rivers women who have experienced the worst of Covid lockdown border restrictions are demanding state health departments end an “unacceptable” level of confusion for people needing to access medical care.

Eureka mum Kim Goodrick and Ballina resident Kimberley Brown have joined forces over a desire to ensure people needing to cross from New South Wales into Queensland on urgent medical grounds are able to do so without enduring a “bureaucratic nightmare”.

Mrs Brown was pregnant with twins in August 2020 when she endured a 16-hour delay caused by conflicting Covid protocols between the NSW and Queensland health departments.

“One of the girls developed a critical condition quite rapidly and our obstetrician at Lismore Hospital contacted doctors at The Mater (hospital) in Brisbane as they did not have the facilities,” Mrs Brown said.

“But the doctors there said ‘they are not sure we can get you over the border’.”

After a 16-hour delay, Mrs Brown was flown to Sydney by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

“The care we received in Sydney was incredible,” she said.

Tragically, one of the twins became anaemic and died during the birth.

Mrs Brown said while she did not believe that being able to cross the border to Brisbane would have resulted in a different outcome, the support of extended family during such a traumatic time would have been good.

“Instead, we were in Sydney for three-and-a-half months,” she said.

New South Wales Ambulance paramedic Rolly Murcott meets Connor Meldrum, Kim Goodrick and Dr David Meldrum after Connor’s rescue from a cliff fall.

A year on, Mrs Brown is determined that no other family should have to experience the devastating situation hers had been through.

Mrs Brown said she reached out to Ms Goodrick after she read about how her son Connor Meldrum, 17, was denied a Pfizer vaccination at a Queensland Covid clinic.

Connor was seeking the vaccination after he arrived in Brisbane ahead of brain surgery booked for August 23.

Mrs Brown and her husband Scott are supporting Ms Goodrick, who has created a social media page Parents for QLD Border Medical Exemptions.

“We are concerned about the effect of the Queensland border closure on our ability to gain timely medical services for our children,” Ms Goodrick said.

“So we are advocating for a simple and streamlined process for both urgent and routine cases.”

Ms Goodrick said she was very moved when Mrs Brown reached out after reading about her son’s situation of being denied a vaccination ahead of scheduled brain surgery.

“Kimberley literally messaged me and said we have to do something to stop this confusion,” she said.

Ms Goodrick said is was “serendipitous,” that Mrs Brown contacted her.

“Her tragic situation was in the back of my mind when Connor and I literally jumped in the car to get across the border so he would not miss out on this life saving operation,” Ms Goodrick said.

Connor Meldrum.

The pair hope to encourage other families to demand that NSW and Queensland health departments offer a streamlined solution.

“Dealing with my son’s surgeons and doctors as well as the medical administration at hospitals, Queensland Health and border officials, all of these people ... their coordination is very difficult, particularly when regulations keep changing,” she said.

“There needs to be a system where if you are going to cross the border you deal with one person from Queensland Health who helps you navigate through all the different layers.”

Mrs Brown said there seemed to have been little improvement the past 12 months, which she found perplexing and frightening.

“In March this year when there were no border restrictions, my baby daughter was unwell and she needed extra medical attention that was unavailable at Lismore Hospital,” she said.

“We had to wait nine hours to go one hour north.”

She said there was still confusion and anxiety for people who could not keep up with policy changes.

“We need a medical border pass and a better form of communication between state health departments,” she said.

Parents for QLD Border Medical Exemptions can be accessed here.