Doctors criticise maternity ward downgrade plan
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Doctors at the Murwillumbah Hospital say they will not take responsibility for the well-being of any emergency obstetric patients who are transferred to Tweed Heads after hours.
Dr Alan Secombe says plans by the North Coast Area Health Service to downgrade the Murwillumbah maternity ward will put expectant mothers at risk.
Dr Secombe says a pregnant woman experiencing complications can be transferred from the maternity ward to a operating theatre in about half-an-hour, but travelling to Tweed would add at least 30 minutes to the waiting time.
He says there were about 70 emergency obstetric patients treated at the hospital in the last year, so taking the after-hours service away makes no medical sense.
"Clinical people look at clinical issues and look at patient safety overriding anything else," he said.
"We believe administrators should do the same. However, it would appear that financial issues here seem to be becoming more and more important."
