A group of local families fighting for the return of maternity services at Mossman Hospital are calling on whoever wins today’s election to support their cause.

The ‘Families Fighting to Reopen Mossman Maternity’ group have been campaigning for the last two years to have the Midwifery Group Practice services and birthing services reopened at Mossman Hospital.

Leading the charge is Port Douglas mother and Maternity Choices Australia consumer representative, Jessie Goetze.

Ms Goetze is passionate about this cause as she and many other mothers have experienced the fear of not being able to make it to hospitals over an hour away when in labour.

Like many regional areas, Mossman’s birthing unit was shut down in 2004, while its Midwifery Group Practice was closed in 2018, forcing women to travel to Cairns or Mareeba.

At least three women from the Douglas Shire have given birth on the side of the road en route to hospital this year alone, while another delivered her baby on a lounge room floor.

“This has caused unnecessary stress and trauma to women in our Shire,” Ms Goetze said.

“Since 2017 there have been over 30 emergency births at Mossman Hospital.”

Ms Goetze said it was ridiculous and unsafe to have to drive past your local hospital to another hospital on winding roads through mobile phone blackspots for over an hour while sitting in a car which is counter-productive to giving birth.

“To avoid this, women have been forced to have early C-Sections, early inductions, or told to relocate two to three weeks before the estimated due date," she said.

Ms Goetze said they are campaigning for the Mossman Hospital, which is currently at level one, to be upgraded to a level two facility to allow a midwife run Birth Centre for low-risk women.

“It is vital that we have safe, local, quality services and it is unbelievable that in a Shire of almost 12,000 residents with an estimated annual birth rate of 185 babies we do not have these services anymore.”

Ms Goetze said Maternity advocacy and support groups including Maternity Choices Australia and Maternity Consumer Network have been campaigning political parties for pre-election commitments and Families Fighting to Reopen Mossman Maternity has been working on commitments from our local candidates to have birthing and maternity services - specifically re-instating a Midwifery Group Practice to all risk women.

The LNP has committed to reintroducing maternity to Chinchilla and Theodore hospitals and the LNP Candidate for Cook, Nipper Brown said Mossman will be added to this.

"It truly is frustrating for me to see regional hospitals downgraded as a cost-saving measure. We have pledged we will put maternity services back into regional hospitals including Mossman.

“I promise that I will lobby and fight to have that happen as soon as possible after being elected. I have spoken with the Shadow minister about this policy and it is writing that Mossman will be included with Chinchilla and Theodore.”

The Greens have also made commitments to Maternity Choices Australia, stating the party supports the reinstatement of Maternity services across Queensland, including Mossman.

The Greens’ candidate for Cook, Deby Rudell, said: “I commit to the reinstatement of the maternity and birthing centre in Mossman and promise funds will be directed to this should I be elected.

“For mothers in labour to be made to drive either the Julatten range to Mareeba or the winding coast road to Cairns to get to the nearest hospital with birthing units, is not acceptable for an area of over 12,000 residents. It is vital that the annual one hundred and eighty plus new mothers and their partners have safe, local, quality services. The right start in life reduces the burden on society and provides a better quality of life.”

Other candidates running for Cook have also expressed their strong support for the cause.

The KAP candidate for Cook, Tanika Parker, identified the issue as one of her key running priorities for the region throughout her campaign.

“I strongly support the re-opening of maternity services at Mossman Hospital. It’s appalling that in 2020 Cape York there are mothers giving birth on the side of the road because Qld Health shut down several regional maternity centres, including Mossman,” she said.

“If I’m elected as the new MP for Cook, one of my main priorities will be restoring funding for Mossman Hospital maternity services.”

The NQ First party is also in support of the resurrection of maternity services at several regional hospitals including the Mossman Hospital.

NQ First candidate for Cook Desmond Tayley said “all we need is the balance of power and in the Far North, the election of myself as the next Member for Cook would clearly help our cause.

“If people want those maternity services restored to places such as Mossman, they have to vote for it....simple as that. We have $6b in projects in North, Far North and Central Queensland lined up over the next four years, all paid for by mining royalties and just what we need to get that economic recovery going after COVID-19.”

While the Independent candidate for Cook, Yodie Batzke, said: “it is time our current Queensland Hospital and Health Services account as to why there is no provision for high-quality, patient-centred care of both women and the newborn child in Mossman.”

“At a Maternity Summit held in Cairns on June 20, 2019, Honourable Steven Miles MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services, spoke of his commitment to ensure Health and Hospital Services provided women-centred maternity services across Queensland, regardless of where the mother lives, every woman deserves the chance to have her baby safely. Unfortunately, sixteen or so months have passed, and we are yet to see any further improvements to Mossman Hospital, in the provision of woman-centred maternity services.

“I look forward to future discussions with Queensland Hospital and Health Services future maternity provision for Mossman Hospital."

And the UAP candidate for Cook, Stephen Goulmy, also expressed his support saying Far North Queensland is not a third world country.

“Without delay I will open a maternity ward at the Mossman hospital. My plan is to extend and refurbish this hospital into a modern facility fit for the community needs both now and into the future.”

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Newsport contacted all candidates running for the seat of Cook for comment, however, Cynthia Lui and Brett Neal were unavailable to meet the deadline.