NSW:Midwife-led team to replace doctors

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2010
NSW:Midwife-led team to replace doctors

SYDNEY, Aug 25 AAP - Mothers and babies experiencing difficult births will be put at
risk by plans to forgo obstetricians at a hospital on Sydney's north shore, a doctor says.

Mona Vale Hospital closed its maternity unit in July last year, with speculation a
midwife-led team will replace the operation.

Dr Chester Kent, an obstetrician who has been on staff at the hospital for 25 years,
says he was under the impression the unit had been closed so asbestos could be removed.

He has since learned of a new proposal by the Northern Sydney Area Health Service,
which oversees the hospital, to remove the services of obstetricians altogether and replace
them with a midwife-led team.

"I feel disappointed the area health service made this decision," Dr Kent told AAP on Wednesday.

"While we'd be happy to support a midwifery-based unit, not having any other options
is very disappointing.

"If anything goes wrong, women will have to be transferred.

"I'm sure that most would prefer to not be moved and be in the same spot ... if they
go to a hospital they would like to think there were services there to look after them."

Pregnant women would be forced to travel to Manly Hospital or Royal North Shore Hospital
to see an obstetrician, Dr Kent said, adding that his biggest concern was that difficult
births, including caesarean sections, required the services of an obstetrician.

"There's quite a high caesarean section rate in developed countries and that's done
because it does provide a safe alternative to dangers that can present during labour,"

he said.

Opposition Minister for Health Jillian Skinner said she had spoken to a number of obstetricians
at the hospital with similar concerns.

"They are very worried about the risk to mothers," she said.

"Mothers are going to be giving birth to babies without the care of doctors.

"If things go wrong they are expected to be put into an ambulance and taken to Manly hospital.

"As doctors point out to me, that can be 30, 40 or 50 minutes.

"This is not the way to go to guarantee safe delivery of babies."

AAP bc/tr/jsh

KEYWORD: OBSTETRICIANS

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.