Woman waits for caesarian as doctors powerless to help

9.15am

Frustrated Kaitaia medical staff could only comfort a woman with birthing complications yesterday until a helicopter arrived to fly her to Whangarei.

Hamstrung by a ban on some surgery at Kaitaia Hospital, a surgeon and an anaesthetist were powerless to perform the necessary caesarean operation.

The decision to transfer the patient was made at 7.40am after she developed last-minute complications.

"It was very frustrating. We could have done it (the caesarean) here -- we had an anaesthetist and surgeon standing in the corridor," said Kaitaia Maternity Services clinical manager Stephanie Getty.

KMS business manager Keran Pocklington said such situations had the potential to be fatal.

"It's possible someone, a baby or a mother, could die. This is what we are fighting against."

Ms Getty said the mother had delivered two babies safely before and it was impossible to foresee the complications. The mother was fine yesterday afternoon but they had no news about the baby.

Yesterday's patient was the sixth to be transferred to Whangarei to give birth since the Northland District Health Board ordered a halt to caesarean operations and after-hours surgery at Kaitaia Hospital.

KMS also fears the cutbacks will cripple it financially and lead to redundancies.

Ms Getty said birthing provided by far the bulk of funding. Mr Pocklington said the service averaged 300 births a year. It expects 135 local women to give birth in the next six months. About 80 have been earmarked as at-risk and may have to go to Whangarei.

KMS and its midwives get payments from the board and the Ministry of Health for births and post-natal stays. If the cutbacks had applied last year, 58 per cent of their deliveries would have been done in Whangarei, Mr Pocklington said. KMS employs five independent midwives, has two midwives in its unit and three customer care assistants.

Ms Getty was also concerned about possible legal implications if something went wrong with a patient during the transfer to Whangarei.

"Until that patient is transferred to secondary care, we carry the responsibility."

A march by pregnant women, parents and children protesting against the ban on caesarean operations was to take place in Kaitaia today.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)

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