CQ families deserve better
Patients, doctors, nurses and midwives in Central Queensland deserve certainty about the future of the Gladstone Base Hospital maternity unit.
AMA Queensland President Dr Maria Boulton visited Rockhampton and Gladstone this week to talk to patients and doctors on the ground about their concerns.
Gladstone’s maternity unit was put on indefinite bypass in July 2022, throwing pregnant families into chaos and anxiety.
“Becoming a parent is an exhilarating and terrifying ride,” Dr Boulton, a GP and mother of two, said.
“It is hard to comprehend the anxiety of families who had a planned pregnancy at their local hospital, only to be told their maternity ward may or may not be open when they go into labour.
“I heard stories from mothers who were in their third trimester when the maternity ward went on bypass, women who had no clarity about the plans for the birth of their babies and of healthcare workers who are just fatigued, burnt-out and demoralised.
“We are calling on the Central Queensland Health and Hospital Service (CQHHS) to give expectant families in Gladstone a clear and safe pathway for their baby’s birth while the Gladstone Hospital’s maternity unit is closed.
“We are calling on the CQHHS to provide proper support to their overworked doctors, nurses and midwives – many of whom say they no longer want to work in Central Queensland.
“All Queenslanders deserve access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live.”