Birthing services have returned to Biloela in central Queensland and Cooktown in Far North Queensland after regional communities spent years without local maternity care, ABC News Australia reported. The services resumed on Monday, restoring the option for some expectant mothers to give birth closer to home.
The reopening followed sustained community advocacy in Biloela. Katie Craig began campaigning about three years ago after her son, Dougy, was born three months prematurely and became one of the last babies delivered at Biloela Hospital before its birthing unit closed in 2022.
Craig said her labour progressed quickly and that she feared she might not have reached another hospital safely if Biloela had remained on bypass. She said local access was particularly important because her baby was born about 12 weeks before full term and would have faced a very low chance of survival without specialised care.
The returned service is not identical to the one that closed. Biloela’s unit will provide level two care, below the level three classification it previously held, meaning it cannot treat complex or emergency pregnancies. Craig welcomed the reopening but said she hoped the service could expand if more staff were recruited.
Erica Gannon, president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, said more than half of pregnancy complications could not be predicted in advance. She said the organisation had hoped for level three services in both Biloela and Cooktown and warned that transferring women in labour between hospitals was high risk.
Lisa Blackler, chief executive of the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, said recruiting specialist personnel to a small rural community had been difficult. She said the health service had worked to attract midwives and medical support and that sustaining the reopened service would be the continuing challenge. Assistant Minister for Regional Development Bryson Head also said rural communities needed greater access to maternity and birthing services.