Loss of maternity units a ‘slippery slope’ for healthcare, doctors warn
More than 150 rural obstetric units have closed in two decades, with knock-on impacts on the 'wider community'.
Closing a maternity unit in a rural area is a “slippery slope” that effects not only women and their families, but entire communities who stand to lose local doctors too, the RDAA has warned.
When a rural town loses its maternity unit, operating theatres are often the next to go, then the ED, then local doctors and nurses.
That is the warning from the RDAA after health leaders met in Canberra to address the maternity crisis in the bush.
Over the last two decades, more than more than 150 rural units have closed and many others downgraded, the association said.
