A MUM-to-be has been shunted more than 2000km around Western
Australia for somewhere to have her baby.
Kirsti Sweetman, 24,
eventually gave birth to a boy in a Perth hospital on Sunday night after being
turned away by two hospitals a long way north in WA's Pilbara region.
She initially went to her local hospital at Tom Price, 1556km north of Perth,
on Saturday, after her waters broke four weeks early.
But she was not in labour and the hospital wasn't equipped to induce
pregnancies, said her stepfather Steve Turner.
The flying doctor was called and Kirsti was taken another 360km further north
to Port Hedland hospital while her anxious partner, Tony Bassett, 27, and their
three-year-old daughter Imogen followed by road.
Mr Turner said he and his wife Teresa Kirsti's mum also drove to Port
Hedland for the birth only to be told when they got there Kirsti would have to
go to Perth.
It is understood the doctors in Port Hedland thought it would be safer for
her to have the baby induced in Perth.
Mr Turner, however, said he believed it was because the hospital was flat
out.
She got to Port Hedland and they couldn't handle her cause they were too
busy, he said.
By now it was late, so Kirsti spent the night in the Port Hedland hospital
before being flown to a Perth hospital the next morning.
They induced her that night and her partner had to fly out there on a
commercial flight while my wife and I brought the cars back, Mr Turner
said.
Mr Bassett described Kirsti's ordeal as very traumatic.
The thought of missing the birth of my son, Tarkyn, that was the worst, Mr
Bassett said.
And the last thing that Kirsti wanted to do was go though it on her
own.
Mr Turner said he believed the family was shunted around because the
government was stripping services out of rural and regional areas.
They are taking all our services away in the country and putting them in the
cities, he said.
But the news on the new bub couldn't be better.
Mr Bassett said his son was growing stronger by the hour and he hoped he'd
soon be able to take his family back home another 1556km trip.
Pilbara Health Service regional director Patrik Mellberg said Tom Price
Hospital did not have the facilities to manage high-risk deliveries and a local
GP had made the decision to send Ms Sweetman to the Port Headland regional
hospital via the Royal Flying Doctor Service free of charge.
Upon arrival at Port Hedland it was assessed that due to the patient's
condition and available capacity at the hospital, it would be necessary to fly
her to Perth free of charge again, for reasons of clinical safety, Mr Mellberg
said.
The patient was under constant medical supervision.
