Gladstone families deserve proper maternity services
The phased reopening of Gladstone Base Hospital’s maternity unit is welcome but does not resolve the ongoing issues facing patients, doctors, nurses and midwives in Central Queensland.
“I was in Rockhampton and Gladstone this week to talk to patients and doctors on the ground about their concerns, and it was confronting and distressing,” AMA Queensland President Dr Maria Boulton said.
“Parents in Gladstone were left in the dark when the maternity unit went on bypass three months ago. They were not told what this meant for their impending birth or healthcare.
“Families did not know if they should relocate to Rockhampton for the final weeks of their pregnancy. Hospital staff had no information to give families.
“It is a 90-minute drive along a potholed highway from Gladstone to Rockhampton. This is not a drive anyone wants to do in an emergency situation when a mother and baby’s lives are at risk.
“It is not good enough for Queensland Health to blame this on doctors taking leave. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are human. They need to have breaks. They get tired. They get sick. They cannot continue to work in a sick system.
“Doctors tell us they are fatigued, overworked, and no longer want to work in regional Queensland.
“We warned back in 2018 when Queensland Health purchased the Mater Private in Gladstone that it would lead to the end of private obstetric services in the region. Sadly, we were right.
“We need a real investment in healthcare services and staff. We are facing a global shortage of 15 million healthcare workers by 2030.
“We need to grow our own medical workforce, and we need to treat our international medical graduates better.
“Queenslanders deserve access to doctors and nurses, and families in Gladstone in particular deserve proper maternity services.”