Doctors’ pleas to fix baby crisis ignored for years

Queensland’s Health Minister is facing pressure to resign over the collapse of maternity services in regional Queensland, after a top obstetrician says her department had received plenty of warning of a dire situation that left doctors were left with “no choice” but to leave. POLL

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Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton has slammed the state government’s handling of the maternity crisis at Gladstone hospital, calling for Health Minister Yvette D’Ath to be removed.

It follows claims from one of Queensland’s top obstetricians that the health department had long been warned of the impending collapse of services in the major regional city.

“It’s clear that she has presided over disaster upon disaster,” Mr Dutton said at a press conference in Brisbane on Wednesday morning.

“[Regional] Queenslanders pay taxes like those of us do in the cities, and they should expect not a Third World service but a service which is going to provide the best outcome for them and their kids. I don’t think Yvette D’Ath is up to the job.”

“You’ve now got a situation where doctors are calling this government out.”

“The health minister’s position is untenable. Even Steven Miles recognises that, and it should be the first step frankly that Annastacia Palaszczuk takes when she’s back from holidays,” he said.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Josh Woning

Questioned on the issue this morning, Ms D’Ath refuted suggestions she was blindsided by Acting Premier Steven Miles’ intervention into her portfolio this week.

“Not at all. We had a conversation and I was aware that the Acting Premier wanted to meet with me on Monday,” she said.

“I was already meeting with my department on a range of issues as I do every single week. I meet with my director-general every week, I speak with him almost daily on the phone. We’re in constant contact.”

On Monday it was reported Dr Miles had sensationally intervened in the unfolding crisis, convening a meeting with the Health Minister and Queensland Health boss Shaun Drummond to come to a solution.

Ms D’Ath also said obstetricians were now only needed at “about five or 10 per cent” of births and only ten full time staff were needed across both Rockhampton and Gladstone.

“Part of the problem that’s been developing over the years, with the evolution of midwives … were seeing the role of the obstetrician is reducing,” Ms D’Ath said.

“They may be needed for about five or ten per cent (of births), maybe even less than that because they’re generally only being called on when something’s going wrong.

“Our obstetricians (will be) rotating across Rockhampton and Gladstone.”

Ms D’Ath said Gladstone was only a level three hospital and didn’t require a full maternity service.

National Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ president Dr Gino Pecoraro has slammed the government’s handling of the Gladstone maternity crisis, saying the “so-called solution” of flying in doctors from Brisbane “won’t survive long-term”.

On Monday Acting Premier Steven Miles sensationally intervened in the Central Queensland maternity mess following revelations expectant Gladstone mums were opting for elective C-sections after the hospital’s maternity unit was put on bypass to Rockhampton last July.

“Gladstone had the specialist staff, but their ill treatment by the health department led to them fleeing. This cannot be stressed enough,” Dr Pecoraro said.

“Doctors – myself included – have been warning the health department of the imminent collapse of maternity services for two years.

“The root cause of this collapse was the closure of the private maternity unit in Gladstone. This led to the private specialists previously living and working in Gladstone moving out.”

Dr Pecoraro said following the closure specialists were prevented from delivering private patients in the public hospital, leaving doctors “no other choice but to pack up and leave, forcing all women to present to the public hospital”.

“Any so-called solution relying on expensive fly in fly out locums or conscripting doctors from Brisbane for enforced terms won’t survive long term.”

On Monday embattled Health Minister Yvette D’Ath met with both Dr Miles and Queensland Health director-general Shaun Drummond, after the Acting Premier demanded an urgent meeting to address the spiralling crisis.

In the wake it was announced four new obstetricians for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health service would begin mid-year, and that Queensland Health was looking to secure a specialist obstetric locum for Gladstone Hospital.

On Monday Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the Gladstone maternity crisis was a failure to plan, deliver and evaluate.

“For six months, this has been a crisis that has occurred and for six months the government have made a myriad of promises time and time again and yet little has changed,” he said.

“We are not dealing with some rural outpost – we are dealing with a major regional city.”

LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates pointed out that Manufacturing Minister and Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher had sat around the Cabinet table along with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Ms D’Ath, and Dr Miles.

“What on Earth have they been doing for the last six months?,” she said.

Queensland obstetrician Gino Pecoraro. Pics Tara Croser.

Mr Butcher – who had said he would resign if the hospital remained on bypass indefinitely – yesterday told The Courier-Mail “I’m not going anywhere”, and defended his record on the issue.

“Since Gladstone Hospital’s maternity ward went on bypass, I’ve made a large number of representations to Minister D’Ath, staff in her office, the Health Department’s Director General, Deputy Director General, Chief Operating Officer and CQHHS Executives,” he said.

“As most can appreciate, this is an extremely complex issue and we cannot simply pluck obstetricians out of thin air. That is a frustration shared by many jurisdictions across Australia and one I’ve spoken to local community advocates about regularly, during private meetings and at a public event outside my office late last year.

“I have been working tirelessly to help find a solution to this situation and I’m happy to see progress being made, including the on boarding of four full time obstetricians in the coming months.”

Mr Butcher said he had “great confidence that maternity services will be returned as soon as possible”.

“In the meantime, I’m reassured locum specialists are being sought out to work at Gladstone Hospital but am calling on any obstetricians, who want to come and work in one of the greatest communities in Queensland, to come forward.”

Mr Butcher also said he had received his own briefing by Ms D’Ath’s office.

Originally published as Doctors’ pleas to fix baby crisis ignored for years