Midwifecover system issues remain: GP

THE latest emergency birth at the Lumsden maternal and child hub shows the system put in place to provide midwife cover in the Northern Southland town is still not working effectively, a local GP says.

The woman, from Central Otago, was travelling to Southland Hospital with her midwife but deliberately went via Lumsden in case the baby arrived early.

Accounts differ as to what happened next, but both the mother and her baby, who was born soon after the family arrived in Lumsden, are well.

Sources have told the ODT there were several issues or potential issues with the birth.

However, Gore Mayor Tracy Hicks, the chairman of a stakeholders group created to try to broker a solution to the issue of midwife care in Lumsden, said his understanding was the birth was well managed.

Lumsden GP Matthew Stokes, a member of the stakeholders group, said he could not comment on the specifics of Friday’s birth.

However, in general terms the incident showed there were issues still to be resolved, Dr Stokes said.

‘‘The system that is in place is still not functional or working effectively.’’

The Lumsden Maternity Centre became a hub as part of the Southern District Health Board’s regionwide review of maternity services.

Locals have fought a long and so far unsuccessful campaign for it to revert to being a primary birthing unit.

There have been five emergency births since the change in service level in Lumsden and the SDHB has commissioned a report on the earlier incidents.

A shortterm temporary midwife finished a contract to provide cover in Lumsden days before Friday’s birth.

Mr Hicks said he had been briefed on Friday’s birth and he understood the hub worked as intended, and the birth was well managed.