The Palaszczuk Government has announced an initial investment of $5 million to guarantee that birthing services in Far North Queensland will not be disrupted by the closure of maternity services at Ramsay Health Care’s private hospital.
The Government has also committed to facilitating employment pathways for any midwife who loses their job with Ramsay’s private maternity service.
The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has been working closely with Ramsay Health Care to safely transition maternity services for women who were planning to birth at the private hospital.
The additional births will represent only a minor increase in demand, with an average of 187 babies born each month at the public hospital compared to just 18 at Ramsay Health Care’s private hospital.
The initial investment of $5 million will provide an uplift in the number of maternity beds available at Cairns Public Hospital.
An agreement has been reached to allow Cairns Public Hospital to utilise available beds at Ramsay Health’s Private Hospital. This will allow Cairns Hospital greater capacity to free up services and improve patient flow.
The Member for Cairns, Michael Healy, has worked closely with both the public hospital and Ramsay Health Care to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible for Cairns locals.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman:
Our initial commitment of $5 million will safeguard maternity services in the Far North.
The women of Cairns and Far North Queensland can be absolutely confident that the closure of Ramsay’s maternity services in Cairns will not impact their ability to give birth locally.
The transition of services to Cairns Public Hospital will be done in a safe and orderly manner and ensure any disruption to local women is minimised.
From the first day I was sworn in as Health Minister, I have been clear that maternity services are a key priority for me.
Quotes attributable to Chief Executive, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Leena Singh:
We are proud of the maternity and obstetric services we provide to Far North Queenslanders, and expectant mothers should feel confident that they will always be in good hands at our facilities.
We have a high level of expertise in birthing as well as before and after birth care and support. Additionally, Cairns Hospital has a Special Care Nursery for sick and premature babies.
I am proud of the work our teams do across our Health Service, ensuring women are provided with safe and accessible maternity services.
Our dedicated clinicians and midwives will be working to seamlessly transition the care for each expectant mother to help ensure they have a positive and safe birthing experience.
