Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dashed hopes of federal funding for a new hospital in Darwin, while announcing a $10 million grant to improve maternity services at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH).
The Northern Territory’s health department has been calling for a new hospital in Darwin since Cyclone Fina last November caused bricks to come loose and fall on a roof, leading to a partial ceiling collapse.
At the time, then-NT Health chief executive Chris Hosking said the territory’s largest hospital was “literally creaking at the seams” and that he wouldn’t want to bunker down for a category three cyclone at RDH in 10 years’ time.
Mr Hosking has since taken a new role in Treasury developing plans for new hospitals in the territory, including in Darwin.
Anthony Albanese was joined by NT government and federal politicians to announce the $10 million in funding. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)
Mr Albanese was at RDH on Monday morning to announce $10 million to improve the hospital’s maternity services, following an increase in demand amid the closure of Darwin Private Hospital’s maternity ward last year.
Asked twice whether he would consider funding for a new hospital in Darwin, Mr Albanese said: “I’m here to announce $10 million for maternity services.”
$10 million maternity boost
The funding announcement to improve maternity services at RDH comes more than a year after Darwin Private Hospital closed its maternity ward.
It has led to more demand for services at RDH, with the NT government initially asking the federal government for $35 million last year to improve infrastructure.
Royal Darwin Hospital has been the only option for women having babies since the private hospital closed last year. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
The NT government was subsequently told to lodge another request for $10 million, which will now be granted at the end of this year.
The funding will see refurbishments to existing birthing suites and the maternity ward.
Upgrades to the birthing suites will see private bathrooms built, with a general nursery in the maternity ward also being installed.
A separate bereavement room outside the maternity suites will also be part of the upgrades, as well as a lactation room in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Mr Albanese said the $10 million was “new money” that would be allocated in December’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook.
“Welcoming a baby is such an important part of life and we want to make sure that during that important time Northern Territory women can have their babies with the high-quality health care that they deserve close to home,”
he said.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government welcomed the funding, having worked “collaboratively with the federal government” over 14 months to secure it.
Lia Finocchiaro says the funding will deliver a range of upgrades to the maternity services at RDH. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)
“It’s clearly much-needed funding that is going to deliver a range of upgrades,” she said.
“This money will enable the Northern Territory government to upgrade birthing suites, make sure we can move our bereavement space to somewhere much more appropriate.
“It will allow us to make sure that birthing suites have all of the facilities that women need for privacy and it’s going to provide much-needed investment into our neonatal intensive care unit.”
Money welcome but won’t fix staffing issues
Local maternity care advocacy group Our Birth Our Voice spokespeople Sophia Emberson-Bain and Leesa Burton have been advocating for upgrades to maternity care in the Northern Territory since the closure of DPH.
Ms Emberson-Bain said she welcomed the funding boost for infrastructure but still had concerns about staffing and access to care for maternity, birthing and miscarriages.
Sophia Emberson-Bain and Leesa Burton say the funding is welcome but there is more work to be done to improve maternity services in the NT. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
“We’re thrilled that it has happened. When the money hits the bank account it is then up to the NT government to roll out the changes and upgrades that it desperately needed,” she said.
“It is also up to the NT government as well to fix the systems that underpin this infrastructure … like we need better access to scans that women are crying out for.“
Other women also welcomed the funding but said concerns still remained about continuity of care during a pregnancy in the Northern Territory.
“This funding is not going to be able to support any of that around staffing, or actually having available obstetricians privately et cetera; however, this is going to improve the building the services happen in,” Ms Burton said.
“This is really about the space and improvements to the space, and then we also need to continue to work on how the services inside RDH and across the Northern Territory work.”