North West Private hospital to no longer provide maternity services
After being accused by Labor of radio silence on the matter, the state government has confirmed North West Maternity Services will be transitioned to the public system on schedule.
North West Coast
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The state government has confirmed that North West Maternity Services will be transferred to the public system on December 4.
Birthing services in the North-West had previously been provided at the private hospital.
However, in February, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said that maternity services at the North West Private Hospital were no longer safe.
It called for birthing services to be immediately transferred to the public North West Regional Hospital, which the state government agreed to.
The government initially committed to transferring North West Maternity Services to the public system by November 2024.
But amid pressure from the AMA and Labor, this transition was brought forward to December 4.
“It was this Liberal Government that initiated the transition of maternity services on the North West back to the public system by December 4, almost a year earlier than initially proposed,” Health Minister Guy Barnett said.
“We will deliver that.
“A significant amount of work has been done to support the transition, including passing legislation which was initially delayed due to stunts in parliament by the opposition.”
The confirmation comes after Labor initially slammed the government for not providing an update on whether the maternity services transition would happen before December 4.
“Expectant mothers and families deserve to know what model of care will be delivered in the North West and how staff recruitment and transfer to the THS has progressed,” Labor health spokesperson Anita Dow said.
“Maternity services on the North-West Coast should never have got to the point where expectant mums were asked to bypass the hospital and the service was deemed unsafe by the AMA.”
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