Thursday, 7 April 2022

Portland District Health

Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (09:45): This week we have seen the horrific story out of Portland of young mum Jessa giving birth on the side of the road because maternity services have been stripped from Portland District Health due to government mismanagement. Yesterday in Parliament the Minister for Health tried to claim that closing the maternity service was for safety reasons. How is it safer for a woman to give birth on the side of the road when there were midwives and doctors available in Portland? Midwives are not lining the sides of the roads, Minister. Claiming there is a workforce shortage has some truth, but what has the government done in this time to recruit staff in the regions for the last four years? The workforce rural planning strategy recommendation of 2018 and the government’s own perinatal inquiry have been completely ignored by government. They have done nothing. This could have been avoided.

The minister has stacked the hospital board with outsiders—appointments by the minister for a reason. Services are being lost left, right and centre. We have lost ophthalmology and maternity, and now anaesthetics has been lost from Portland District Health. Today the Rural Doctors Association has slammed this outcome, as it will prevent the important role of training doctors that Portland had. There is clearly an agenda afoot. The government needs to come clean and stop hiding the truth from Portland. Services being cut says it all. Jessa’s birthing experience was traumatic, not safe.