2024-05-17
St John of God Bunbury will close their maternity ward in less than 6 weeks, despite having 96 patients booked in to give birth in the unit, including some after the closure date.
In a Facebook post and media statement, expectant families were told that the maternity ward would be closing on the 25th of June, and that they should plan to give birth at nearby Bunbury Regional Hospital or in Perth, more than 2 hours away.
Staff across the maternity ward, which also delivers postnatal care and neonatal special care will be left jobless with just weeks to prepare.
It comes as another blow to maternity care in the South West, with the WA Country Health Service announcing that services that support complex births at Margaret River Hospital would be transferred to Busselton and Bunbury Hospitals.
The Greens are urging the state and federal governments to step in and adequately fund WA’s public hospitals so that the healthcare system can deal with the influx of patients, and ensure that the 96 families still booked in at St John of God Bunbury receive continuity of care for the remainder of their pregnancies.
Lines attributable to Greens MLC for South Metropolitan Region Brad Pettitt
“This is an incredibly disappointing announcement for parents hoping to stay close to home when having their baby. Now they will be forced to travel upwards of two hours to receive care in a different hospital that is likely already swamped.
“Services for women and babies in regional areas should be at the forefront of Labor’s priorities. These services are crying out for more funding, and when we have a multi-million dollar surplus in this state, why are we leaving families without essential care?
“I am shocked that many of the staff had to find out about this closure on social media. Workers deserve better than to find out on Facebook that they have lost their job, and I implore St John of God to support these workers to transition into new roles.”
Lines attributable to Greens Spokesperson for Health Jordon Steele-John
“We heard just 3 weeks ago that Bunbury Regional Hospital is already struggling with response times. This closure only serves to add extra pressure that they simply will not be able to deal with.
“Our public hospitals are grossly underfunded, all over the state. We need the Federal and State Governments to further invest in our public healthcare system so that people across WA can access affordable healthcare.
“Our community deserves better than private healthcare providers deciding at short notice there is no longer a profit to be made, and closing a vital service.
“Healthcare should be run in the interests of our community, and that's exactly why we need State and Federal Labor governments to stop crowing about their budget surpluses and instead invest in healthcare.