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Mareeba Hospital's maternity unit

News this morning that another small maternity unit, this time in Mareeba, Queensland, is to close because the only obstetrician in town has decided to turn to private obstetrics and won’t now support the public hospital maternity service.

Mareeba, which is in far north Queensland, just inland from the very popular tourist spot of Cairns, has had an excellent maternity unit for many years, offering very woman centred care, excellent outcomes and a wonderful midwifery philosophy. The obstetrician has been very supportive of the model of care they have developed over time and is very midwife-friendly in the past. Although the midwives have been told they can continue to offer pre and post natal care at the Hospital, this is not satisfactory. Women will be forced to drive down from the tablelands when they are in labour to give birth at the Cairns Base Hospital, which is already struggling to meet demand from surrounding areas. The chances of babies being born on the side of the road is very real.

Th sudden announcement to suspend birth services at Mareeba, made with no warning and no consultation, does offer a great opportunity. This may be the catalyst for the opening of the first midwifery maternity service in Queensland, along the lines of the very successful Ryde Hospital service in Sydney. I understand that the lobbying and politicking has already begun and no doubt there will be much activity both locally and across the State, supported by evidence gathered from other parts of Australia.

The report of the Queensland Government enquiry into Maternity Services has not yet been tabled in Parliament. It is hoped that this enquiry will have exposed the lack of options for women giving birth in Queensland and provide the impetus for the development of more woman and midwifery-friendly services across the State. This debacle in Mareeba may be the tipping point for better birth options in a State that has, for years, lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of birthing services.

The developments in Mareeba will be watched with great interest by everyone.

Posted by andrea at May 10, 2005 11:09 AM