Jacquie Henning, who was pregnant in 2019, expected to give birth at the Werribee Mercy Medical Facility. It’s a ten-minute drive from Jacquie’s home in Point Cook.
She was told the hospital was full.
“I was quite shocked, it’s the local hospital,” said Ms. Henning.
“I would think that everyone in this area would go there.”
Instead, she was transferred from Sunshine to Sunshine. Sunshine is about a 45-minute drive if the traffic is good.
“We had to make appointments at 10 o’clock to avoid traffic jams and get there on time,” said Ms. Henning.
This is a common experience for people giving birth in the west of Melbourne. There, the population is growing much faster than the hospital.
Werribee Mercy Hospital delivered 3,897 babies in 2019, but council data showed that 4,745 children were born to local families.
Many were sent to Sunshine Beach and Geelong.
Roadside Births Jacquie Henning said she had a positive experience giving birth at Sunshine Hospital.
Kathy McMahon, director of pediatrics at Werribee Mercy Hospital, said many pregnant women were stuck in traffic on their way to the hospital.
She said: “We’ve had women who gave birth on the side of the road and the ambulance brought them here because of, you know, the traffic.”
Dr. McMahon said this happened about once a month.
This is just a sign that Werribee Mercy Hospital is not keeping pace with the community.
Dr. McMahon indicated that children were being transferred from one hospital to another for orthopedic care, numerous surgeries, MRIs, inpatient psychiatric care, and other treatments.
She recommended that the hospital have a pediatric emergency department.
She said: “Our emergency department has reached the end of its life… it is not suitable for children.”
