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Expectant mums in Central Queensland have been left with a single obstetrician after a walkout at Rockhampton Hospital as chronic staff shortages continue to grip the region.
Key points:
- Three specialist obstetricians have resigned from Rockhampton Hospital amid staffing shortages and burnout
- The National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the situation is now a "health emergency"
- AMAQ president Maria Boulton says a ban on locums working in public hospitals on days off is "nonsensical"
Three of the four obstetricians at the hospital have resigned, and obstetrics staff from Gladstone have been called in to fill the gaps over the holiday season.
The Gladstone maternity unit has been on bypass for months, meaning maternity patients must be transferred to another hospital for specialist care.
Meanwhile, the state's peak medical body, the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ), has expressed its concern that worker shortages and staff transfers risk patient safety and will contribute to resignations.
AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton said patients and healthcare workers deserved adequately resourced maternity units.
"We can't keep shuffling staff around to plug gaps, leaving other hospitals short staffed," she said.
"We need real, long-term solutions to attract and retain doctors, nurses and midwives in regional Queensland."
'Troubling and unacceptable'
Queensland's opposition leader, David Crisafulli, said it was unacceptable that some mothers could not have a baby where they lived.
"In the electorate of Callide, one of the biggest in the state, there is nowhere a young mum can have her baby," he said.
"To hear reports of young mums watching YouTube videos of how to have a baby in a modern Queensland, in the shadows of Christmas, that is troubling and quite frankly it's unacceptable.
"We're asking the government to find a way through, and it starts with valuing staff.
"It starts with putting doctors and nurses back in charge, finding ways to attract and retain them, and making sure that young mums can have a baby wherever they live," he said.
However, Queensland's minister for agriculture and fisheries, Mark Furner, said it was a difficult time to find staff.
"No doubt it doesn't matter whether you're in health or any other capacity, it's always difficult, particularly in this period, finding staff," Mr Furner said.
"We'll keep searching for specialist staff to fill those positions. People would understand the difficulties in filling staff at this particular time, but we'll get there."
'A medical emergency'
The National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Gino Pecoraro said now was the time to act.
"This is now a medical emergency," Associate Professor Pecoraro said.
"We need a solution to that, not a political solution to some bad press, for the health minister and the premier. This has gone beyond that now.
"We need to put party politics aside and we need state and federal governments to work together to make having a baby safe for the women of Queensland."
Dr Boulton said a good start would be lifting Queensland Health's ban on employees working as locums in other public hospitals on their days off.
"We know of doctors who would like to work as locums in Queensland regional hospitals but can't, so they are working in New South Wales instead.
"[It] is nonsensical."
However, in a statement, Queensland Health said it was false to claim it bans its staff from working as locums.
"Employees have had the option to work as locums since mid-2022, subject to stringent occupational, health and safety considerations," it said.
Queensland Health said a pilot was currently underway at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to recruit additional obstetrics and gynaecology specialists to travel to regional communities to support local facilities.
It said it would monitor the outcomes of the pilot to determine if it should be implemented permanently.