Bye bye babies

By MARA PATTISON-SOWDEN
EASTERN Health has announced it will close its maternity ward at Healesville Hospital.
Women will have to look down the line towards Box Hill and Angliss hospitals for birthing services, although antenatal and postnatal midwifery services will be enhanced in Healesville.
Eastern Health says the decision follows a steady decline in births taking place at the Healesville and District Hospital as well as women choosing to give birth elsewhere and a lack of available obstetricians and midwives.
Under the previous Labor Government the hospital was given $3 million for refurbishments, which was announced in 2010 with plans still under consideration.
Health Minister at the time, Daniel Andrews had given his guarantee that maternity services at Healesville would stay, and promised community consultation would take place before any decisions were made.
But Eastern Health says the current situation was not sustainable although it would review the decision if circumstances changed.
Executive director of acute health Janet Compton said births were down to one every fortnight at Healesville Hospital.
Ms Compton said the potential to attract another GP obstetrician to Healesville had been severely limited, despite regular advertising in Australia and overseas.
She also said as more women were choosing to have their babies down the line, it was important to improve antenatal and postnatal care in the Healesville community as soon as possible.
“Currently, many local women have to travel outside the region during a pregnancy to receive these services,” she said.
“Our plan is to localise this service so women don’t have to travel as far to get the same service.”
She said Eastern Health had been working on its clinical services plan for the last two years, which will address the needs of the Healesville and district community.
“We have $3 million to refurbish the hospital plus additional money from the Victorian Government to enhance antenatal and domiciliary midwifery care as soon as possible,” she said.
“However, this is not about money.
“Additional funding will not address the demand or staff availability issues, nor the fact that increasing numbers of women are choosing to birth at other centres.”
Ms Compton said there were no plans to close the hospital and no staff would lose their job.
“We are excited about the pending $3 million upgrade, which will ensure contemporary facilities meet the health needs of the community and we will be commencing community consultation about this in the near future,” she said.