Thursday 14 May 2009

DELLA BOSCA FAILS BLUE MOUNTAINS: SAYS MOTHERS SAFER IN AN AMBULANCE

"There's almost no place for that mother and her baby to be safer than in the back of an ambulance on the way to Nepean Hospital."
Health Minister John Della Bosca today in Parliament

Health Minister John Della Bosca has not only failed to provide a reliable maternity unit at the Blue Mountains hospital, but has now given up on local mothers telling them they are safer “in the back of an ambulance”, Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner said today.

When asked in Parliament today to guarantee the future of the Blue Mountains maternity unit, the Health Minister gave up on local families.

“This dismissive attitude towards mothers in the Blue Mountains is nothing short of disgraceful and is total disrespectful of pregnant women,” Mrs Skinner said.

“Health Minister John Della Bosca and Labor have totally failed mothers in the Blue Mountains,” she said.

“John Della Bosca is so out of touch he thinks Blue Mountains’ families don’t deserve a maternity unit, and would rather have them undertake the 45 minute drive down the mountain to a Sydney hospital.

“Not only is John Della Bosca an inexperienced and incompetent Health Minister, he doesn’t seem to care about giving Blue Mountains mothers the best possible care and maternity services.

“Despite promising that the Blue Mountains maternity unit would never close again after being reopened in September last year, the Rees Government has repeatedly closed it – Labor is loose with the truth.

“Health Minister John Della Bosca continues to whinge and whine about recruitment problems but is focussed on spin instead of providing real solutions.

““The NSW Liberal/Nationals have practical positive plans to improve health services in the Blue Mountains – our Health Districts will allow local hospitals to more effectively recruit specialists so they can provide the services they need,” Mrs Skinner said.