New twist: Fresh news on $35m maternity funding
NT Health has revealed fresh funding hope for private maternity services in the Northern Territory. Find out more.
NT Health has revealed there are fresh federal funding hopes for private maternity services in the Northern Territory.
NT Health chief executive, Chris Hosking told a weekend forum of families, health professionals and execs, and federal and local politicians that funding negotiations were “hopefully moving forward”.
However it appears that it will not be the $35 million NT health Minister Steve Edgington requested in May to help the NT Government make “some modifications” to RDH’s maternity ward.
Mr Hosking told the forum that he had information that federal Health Minister Mark Butler was not agreeable to $35m, “but will be agreeable to a more moderate estimate similar to what several other states have got”.
“We’re going back to Minister Butler through senior officials at the moment,” Mr Hosking said.
“To be really clear the $35m would have allowed us to co-locate all maternity within Royal Darwin.
“We won’t be able to do that for a third of that, but it could go a long way to making the experience better for people.
“We’re still pressing for a higher round, but I don’t know how successful that will be.”
Months after the closure of Darwin’s private maternity ward, families and politicians continue raising questions about the future of maternity services in the Top End.
Since the closure of the private maternity ward at Darwin Private Hospital in June this year, concerns about Royal Darwin Hospital’s capacity, staffing shortages and decreasing options have only grown louder.
At the Darwin weekend forum families shared their experiences with Top End maternity services and at times, stories of heartbreaking loss.
The event called Our Birth, Our Voice, was originally created by mothers and women impacted by closure of the private maternity services and has become a platform for families and health workers to have their say on helping improve the state of all Darwin’s maternity services.
It was attended by Minister for Education, Jo Hersey, who was attending behalf of the Health Minister, Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, Member for Drysdale, Clinton Howe, Member for Nightcliff, Kat McNamara, Leader of the Opposition, Selena Uibo, Independent Johnston MLA, Justine Davis, NT Health chief executive, Chris Hosking and several other NT Health leaders.
Minister Hersey thanked those who shared their stories and shared some of the challenges she personally faced during her own pregnancies.
“I think it’s been very brave and courageous from the women who have stood up and shared their stories,” she added.
“I think every single one of us was in tears.
“I just want to acknowledge the fact that we as a government are doing everything that we can to make this better.
“There are many of us in Parliament that are women that have not only had children but are going to be having children.
“And so I just want to thank the organisers and everyone who has come here.”
Darwin-based actress and one of the forum organisers Sophia Emberson-Bain, said the size of the group turnout said something important.
“It says how deeply maternity care matters to this community and it tells us that something isn’t working as it should,” she said.
“It’s because we’ve seen or experienced gaps firsthand, the moments of care that fell short, the near misses the heartbreak and the strain on those trying to provide care in a stretched system.
“We are here to be listened to, to be heard, to share our experiences not to criticise but to drive change.”
