Birthing services in Cooktown have been halted since mid-2022, but Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service stated it was “starting to move closer” to resuming after an unexpected local birth. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
The arrival of a baby has left the Cooktown community questioning when birthing services will return to the hospital.
A baby was delivered in the southern Cape York community on 17 February despite the birthing suite at the Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service having closed its doors in February 2022.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) could not provide any further details due to patient confidentiality.
“Unexpected births are not uncommon in communities right across Australia, and are managed in the safest way possible when they occur by a combination of local health staff and medical retrieval services,” TCHHS executive director of medical services Dr Marlow Coates said.
“We remain determined to be able to offer a safe and sustainable birthing service as close as possible to our communities.”
The surprise birth came just days after the Weipa Integrated Health Service celebrated its 50th baby born since birthing services resumed in the western Cape York community in May 2024.
Currently, due to “ongoing obstetric-trained medical staff shortages”, expectant mums in the Cooktown area are urged to travel to Cairns or elsewhere from around 36 weeks, requiring them to be away from their families and support systems, to ensure a safe birth.
Dr Coates said while it was disappointing, TCHHS was “starting to move closer” to resuming maternity services in Cooktown.
“We are steadily putting together a medical team with 24/7 availability of rural generalist GPs with obstetric and anaesthetic skills to ensure access to emergency caesarean section and emergency back-up for unforeseen complications during labour and antenatally,” he said.
“For the first time since 2019, we have fully recruited all required midwives and anaesthetic-trained GPs, but we still require two more obstetric-trained GPs to ensure this service is safe and sustainable – and we hope these may be firmly in place before the end of this year.”
