REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN

Saturday, July 17, 2010

MUM power forced the reopening of the Gold Coast Hospital’s Birth Centre which closed without notice, leaving mothers-to-be out in the cold.

The deaths of three newborn babies was believed to be behind the closure – but about 300 women took to the street to protest against it. Their action triggered crisis talks and Queensland Health backflipped, announcing the centre would reopen and discussions on its future would resume.

The two natural birthing suites in the centre, separate to the hospital’s labour ward, were closed without notice.

Griffith University’s Bachelor of Midwifery convenor Dr Kerry Peart said one woman was in labour when an obstetrician came in and said the suite was closed and the woman and her midwife had to move.

Gold Coast Health District chief executive Dr Adrian Nowitzke said some specialist obstetricians had raised concerns about the safety of the birth centre but he did not elaborate.

“The birth centre is not closing and we are committed to the birth centre model ... we made a decision based on clinical safety to modify that model of care while we made absolutely certain that women and babies of the Gold Coast were safe,” he said.

Dr Nowitzke said following meetings with clinicians, midwives and mothers-to-be, the centre would continue to operate under the agreed model of care.

Australian College of Midwives president Jenny Gamble, who spoke on behalf of midwives at the hospital, said there had been three birth centre-related cases in recent months when babies had died. The babies had died outside the centre and while under further medical care.