College warns bush births under threatMonday, 21 February 2005 The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine says unless something is done now, women will not be able to have their babies in the country. The number of GPs working in obstetrics has declined by 50 per cent in recent years. College president Bruce Chater says the situation is reaching crisis point. "When you look at some of the hospitals, the reasonably big hospitals which have closed maternity services over recent years, unfortunately that's the way it's heading and the sad thing is that all the evidence points to rural obstetrics being very safe," he said. A symposium will be held next month to discuss the problem. |
