Private hospitals highlight safety

BABIES are 1.5 times more likely to die in a public hospital than a private hospital, according to figures released by Queensland’s private obstetricians.

The statistic is being used by the doctors in response to claims from Queensland Health maternity chief Dr Rebecca Kimble that the private sector was overrated and mothers were at risk due to longer stays.

“A flood of doctors have contacted me and there is anger in the private sector over these words,” private obstetrician Dr Gino Pecoraro said. “They are very damning and have no scientific evidence to back them.

“Much research shows the benefits to mothers and babies in the private system.”

The new president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland Dr Dilip Dhupelia has also weighed into the debate, saying that Queensland women need both the private and public sectors to meet their demands.

“Women who can afford access to private care with the advantages of private hospital accommodation and one- onone access to specialist obstetrician care should feel confident and safe to do so.

“This also opens capacity in the public system for those women who do not have these options,” Dr Dhupelia said.

Dr Pecoraro highlights the study “Perinatal mortality disparities between public care and private obstetrician- led care: a propensity score analysis”.

The study, which included 131,436 births – 52.5 per cent from public and 47.5 per cent private – found that after accounting for fertility treatments and multiple- birth pregnancies, babies born in the public sector were about 1.5 times more likely to die than babies born in the private sector.