THE state’s most fragile newborns are being sent interstate because Victoria’s neonatal intensive care units are stretched to breaking point.
Over the past week, Victoria’s 72 neonatal intensive care cots have been full, forcing dangerously premature babies or mothers with high-risk pregnancies to be flown interstate for life-preserving care.
Four acute babies or mothers with high-risk pregnancies have been flown to Canberra or Adelaide in the past fortnight.
At the same time, the Brumby Government celebrated the opening of the new $250 million Royal Women’s Hospital, which has been widely criticised for being too small to cope with a rising birthrate.
The Department of Human Services yesterday revealed that 12 newborns from regional areas, who would normally be treated at Melbourne hospitals, had been flown interstate for care in the past year.
This was up from just three in 2005-06 and nine in 2006-07.
The new Royal Women’s is equipped with 18 neonatal intensive care cots but can accommodate an extra two when stretched — the same as the hospital it replaced.
Newborn Emergency Transport Service state medical director Dr Michael Stewart said the system was under pressure from a surge in demand.
He said no babies had been harmed by the recent journeys.
“It is obviously not ideal to have to do this, but we are looking at what is the safest and most effective for the whole system at the time as well as being very cognisant of the individual baby and their families,” he said.
“I don’t think in the ideal world it is good to move an adult, a child or a baby from one hospital to another or out of the state if they need intensive care, but the reality is that is occasionally what we need to do.
“These peaks can last for a few days to a week or so, sometimes they last several months, but the tip of the peak we hope just lasts for several days because that does get very difficult to manage.”
The new $1 billion Royal Children’s Hospital will have an increase in its number of neonatal intensive care cots when it is completed in 2011.
Monash Medical Centre and Mercy Hospital for Women are the only other Victorian hospitals with units to sustain the dangerously premature newborns who need help to breath.
Dr Stewart said the state usually coped with less than 60 babies needing intensive care at any one time and “cot-block” had improved since 2000 when there were just 48 Victorian neonatal intensive care unit cots.
But Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Christine Tippett said there were simply not enough neonatal intensive care cots to meet demand.
“The four units are constantly running at or near capacity and the pressure on staff and equipment is at an unsustainable level,” she said.
Department of Human Services spokesman Steve Pivetta said babies in border areas were often closer to interstate hospitals and denied a lack of resources was to blame.
Editor – Grant McArthur
Article from Herald Sun
I remember when Ronan was born in 2006. He was at Monash Medical and a few days after he was born they were at their capacity of 60 babies. I have been back since he was born quite a few times and the nursery is ALWAYS full! With the demand of NICU/SCN beds needed for premature babies and sick newborns there really needs to be more space provided for the growing rate.