Families in Gunnedah and surrounding communities are continuing to face uncertainty over access to local maternity care, with birthing services unavailable at the town’s redeveloped hospital due to staffing shortages.
The $53 million Gunnedah Hospital redevelopment was unveiled in January, but Hunter New England Local Health District has confirmed that birthing services are not currently operating because of recruitment difficulties.
The situation has raised concerns for expectant mothers and families who must travel outside their community to give birth, adding to the challenges of accessing maternity care in regional NSW.
The NSW Liberals and Nationals have joined calls from local families for the State Labor Government to recruit the staff needed to operate the hospital’s maternity facilities.
Deputy Leader of the NSW Nationals and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said the redevelopment was funded and planned by the former Coalition Government to secure the future of health services in the Gunnedah region.
“Under Labor, the hospital has gone backwards, with Labor scaling back the redevelopment, failing to staff maternity services and cutting other essential services like renal and chemotherapy,” Anderson said.
“For all their song and dance in opposition, it’s unacceptable that Labor has failed to recruit the obstetricians required to run our brand new birthing suite, leaving it to gather dust while mothers are forced to travel to give birth.”
Shadow Minister for Health and Regional Health Sarah Mitchell said access to maternity services should not depend on where families live.
“This isn’t just a Gunnedah issue. Women across regional NSW should not have to worry about giving birth on the side of a road,” Mitchell said.
“Ryan Park needs to put his words into action. Regional families need and deserve equal access to maternity services. Expecting parents in regional and rural NSW deserve so much better.”
The Coalition also highlighted comments made by NSW Health Minister Ryan Park in June 2024 about the importance of ensuring new health facilities have sufficient staff.
“I’ve always said that there’s no point in delivering shiny new buildings if you don’t have the staff to adequately run them,” Park said at the time.
The ongoing staffing challenges have placed renewed attention on maternity care access in Gunnedah, where the community is still waiting for birthing services to become available at the redeveloped hospital.
The Coalition is calling for urgent recruitment efforts to ensure local families can access maternity care closer to home.
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