Vic: Shortage of neonatal beds may force babies interstate

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2004
Vic: Shortage of neonatal beds may force babies interstate

MELBOURNE, April 24 AAP - Victorian babies will have to be flown interstate as a shortage
of neonatal beds puts extra pressure on the state's hospitals struggling to cope with
the deadly serratia bacterium, the state opposition said today.

Opposition health spokesman David Davis said Victoria was 22 neonatal beds short.

The shortage comes as several Melbourne hospitals this week isolated babies carrying
the serratia bacterium, he said.

Two babies carrying the bacterium have died at the Monash Medical Centre in recent weeks.

Mr Davis said a paper presented at a perinatal conference in Sydney in March revealed
Victoria should have 72 neonatal beds - it had 50.

"The fear is with so many babies with serratia isolated that intensive care units will
struggle to provide the necessary care to new and vulnerable babies that need the assistance
of one of Melbourne's four neonatal intensive care units," he told reporters.

"There is no doubt that babies will be forced to fly interstate and their mothers with
them - moving mothers and their babies away from their families and loved ones in Victoria
and leading to less than optimal care.

"This will become a developing crisis unless something is done very quickly."

Mr Davis said that in the last year, five Victorian babies had been flown interstate
because of bed shortages.

In February, A Melbourne woman was reportedly forced to take an emergency flight to
Adelaide to give birth to premature twins because of a critical shortage in Victoria's
intensive care facilities for babies.

A Victorian Government spokeswoman said more resources had been put into neonatal intensive
care units since the conference.

AAP kw/cjh/jlw

KEYWORD: BABIES

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