Maternity unit resumes operations in Biloela, Australia
In Biloela in central Queensland, Australia, the maternity unit at the local hospital has resumed operations after providing no services for more than four years. At the same time, maternity care services have returned to Cooktown in northern Queensland, ABC News Australia reports.
The maternity unit at Biloela Hospital was closed in 2022, forcing pregnant women to leave the town to receive care. It resumed operations almost three years after local resident Katie Craig launched a petition demanding the return of the service.
Giving birth close to home
Craig's son, Dougie, was born three months prematurely and was among the last children born in the unit before it closed. Craig went into labour at 27 weeks of pregnancy — about 12 weeks before full term.
According to Craig, the labour began suddenly and progressed very quickly. She believes that transport to Rockhampton or Gladstone could have posed a risk to her and the child. Craig said the local maternity unit gives expectant mothers a sense of security and allows them to remain close to loved ones and other support during pregnancy.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Lower-level services
At the same time, the reopened unit in Biloela will provide level-two services, whereas it operated at level three before its closure. This means the unit will not be able to provide care in complicated or emergency pregnancy cases.
Erica Gannon, president of the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association, said that more than half of complications during pregnancy cannot be diagnosed or predicted in advance. She said she had hoped that level-three services would be restored in Biloela and stressed the high risk of transferring patients between hospitals during labour.
Lisa Blackler, chief executive of Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, said it is difficult to attract midwives and medical specialists to a small rural town. According to her, the service had been working to ensure that the unit could continue operating sustainably after reopening.
