Birth rates in Macarthur have soared by 26 percent in the past two years.
But the number of hospital staff has actually declined during the same period, says the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
A rally was held at Marsden Park in Park Central yesterday as part of a campaign by the association for more hospital staff at Campbelltown and Camden.
An association spokesperson said they held “grave concerns over the quality of care that midwives are able to deliver” if the situation was not resolved.
The federal member for Macarthur and long time paediatrician, Dr Mike Freelander, has written to health minister Brad Hazzard to inform him that the most critical need at Campbelltown Hospital is for more midwifery resources.
Dr Freelander said up to 45 extra midwives were needed to help the hospital cope with demand.
He said the minister and the premier should come out to Campbelltown to talk to hospital staff and residents about the situation.
“I ask that 45 extra midwives are recruited, and urgent action is taken to train more local midwives,’’ he said.
NSW Labor health spokesman Ryan Park and Campbelltown MP Greg Warren also threw their support behind the rally.
“The fact that staff feel the need to rally highlights the serious problems at Campbelltown and Camden hospitals. Simply, the demand for staff is far out growing the supply of staff,’’ Mr Park said.
“Our nurses and midwives do a fantastic job with the limited resources and support at their disposal. This government needs to step up and provide the resources and support for nurses and midwives so they have all the tools needed to adequately do their job.”
Mr Warren added: “On countless occasions I have witnessed how dedicated, passionate and hard working the staff at Campbelltown and Camden hospitals are. But there are only a limited amount of them so they can only do so much.’’
