Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, look, we're going to move along because my next
guest is seriously concerned about the closure of the maternity
services at Darwin Private Hospital. She's one of many women
who will no longer be able to have her bub
at the private hospital. Joining me on the line right now,
let me just make sure I've got that phone lineup.
It is Brook Illingworth. Good morning to you, Brook.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hey, how's it going, Katie?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah? Really well? Now, Brook, I understand that you're going
to miss that cut off date by just weeks, despite
the fact three weeks. Now, that's despite the fact that
you'd already submitted your hospital admission months prior. But it
now means elements of your family's birth plan is no
longer a choice. Can you talk me through your family's situation.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
So my partner and I, this is our first child.
We started paying health insurance specifically to have going in
private maternity ward because we heard just really great things
about it about three and a half years ago. And
so that's the whole point we started paying, you know,
that great deal of money. Yeah, and so this is
(01:11):
our first baby, you know, obviously falling pregnant. Everything's very exciting.
And what was it for February that we heard the news,
and honestly, it just it broke me. I've had a
very good pregnancy. I've been lucky to have great support
with my family and friends, and it's just been such
a beautiful journey. But all of this has just been
(01:34):
it's been very overwhelming. It's been an emotional rollercoaster, and
it's extremely stressful, and now having to put our foot
down and fight for it, it's actually caused more stress
than I've wanted it to. I have, Yeah, I just
don't know where to turn. So that's why I started
really pushing hard for it, because I know there are
many women like me out there that are struggling with
(01:56):
this decision because there are so many concerns at it.
You know, there's so many questions up in the air
that we haven't got answers for. And we're, what is
it five weeks out now from the cutoff, and we
still have no answers, no updates, There's no transparency about
what's going on, and we essentially want to know where
(02:16):
exactly are we are at with these alternative packages, you know,
And yeah, so there's so many questions.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
How was it communicated with you that you'd no longer
be able to have your bub at the private hospital.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So I got it sent to me in I think,
because everyone just started panicking. So I got it sent
to me. My sister in law sent me a screenshot,
I got the email of when that came through from
the private hospital, and then it was just you know,
on social media. Luckily, I had an appointment with obstetrician
a couple days later. I didn't want to random with
(02:53):
questions because the looks on their poor faces, they had
no answers. They personally found out when everyone else did.
So my obstrician only found out fifteen minutes before the
media release, but unfortunately she had to run upstairs and
deliver a baby, so she didn't even have time to
tell her staff.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, and she's probably feeling as upset as her patients
are at this point in time, because I would imagine
that you know, if you are being cared for buy
an obstetrician, which most private patients are, you're probably not
really sure what your options going to be come your
due date.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, so they are also concerned. And as I've mentioned
many times, our obstetrician and her team have just been amazing,
like they could have packed their bags running, but they've
stuck with us. They've continued to take on their great
care and reassuring us that they're going to be with
us every step of the way, despite towards the end
(03:51):
not knowing what the outcome for our aftercare. So yeah,
they are highly concerned. But they also haven't just sat
back obstution. She's been you know, doing more administration work
than she probably is meant to be doing at this point.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
So, Brooke, do you have any idea in terms of
and I'm going to get to the petition in a second,
but do you have any idea now in terms of
your plan, what you're like, what you're able to do,
and and you know what it's going to look like
for you in terms of your you know your due
(04:29):
date and when your bub looks like they're going to arrive.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I have no idea I am at this point. We've
been told that because obviously I missed the cutoff like
many many other women, I just am going to give
birth in the Royal dun Hospital. My obstetrician and her
team will be with us along the way, which is
just you know, fantastic. However, the aftercare of that is unknown. So,
(04:56):
for example, if I do have to rush into an
emergency c section, which isn't currently on my birth plan,
obviously no one puts that on there, I will have
to stay in hospital for a minimum five days. You know,
I no longer get my private room that I paid for.
You know, that's the whole point of it. It's not
me being spoilt and saying I want a private room.
(05:16):
I'm not chucking a fit. I've paid thousands and thousands
of dollars for this aftercare and to be able to
have the team standing by us. But that's no longer
an option, so, you know, and there are so many
women out there that have high risk pregnancies or they've
had them in the past, and so they have gone
on private health for the sole purpose of having that
(05:36):
personalized pregnancy plan and birthing plan. But they no longer
get that, and they are concerned because there are women
out there too that with these high risk pregnancies. You know,
they've had to have weekly scans, or they've had to
have fortnightly scans to make sure that you know, the
baby and mum are safe throughout the whole pregnancy. Is
(05:57):
that something that the Royal DWN Hospital's going to be
able to offer because currently women are going to Catherine
to take scans. That's right, we're a capacity here.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, well that's something that we've spoken about on this
show at previous times as well. Can you tell me, Brooke,
I know that you and a group of other Northern
Territory women you started this petition because you are very
clearly concerned about what is next for you, and I
can only imagine how you feel. You know, I've got
(06:27):
two little kids or the teenagers now just about but
it's it's a pretty you know, like, it is a
pretty unnerving thing, not knowing what are going to be
the next steps for you and really not knowing exactly
what it's all going to look like.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, so I personally, I can't take credit for starting
the petition because that wasn't me. And I believe you're
speaking with Chloe later today, the wonderful women who actually
started this up with a bunch of other women, I believe,
so she'll be able to give you more context about
the whole petition and what our goals are for that.
But to sum it up from the perspective of all
(07:03):
us women who are currently pregnant or seeking to get
pregnant or whatever they're you know, they're currently at in
their stage. If we want transparent updates, we want this
no longer. Oh we're working on these packages. Because these
packages we're five weeks out. My concern is personally, I
worry that if it's something that's thrown together last minute,
(07:25):
is it going to be safe. Have they ordered equipment,
have they started ordering all the beds? Have they locked
down this luxury hotels? Have they got the staff to
man this process? And another big concern for me is
is the obstetricians. So we have private obstetricians so obviously
(07:45):
care for our whole pregnancy. If we go to the
public hospital, they obviously have a range of obstetricians. I
can't tell you how many because I don't know, but
you may get seen by a different obstetrition each time,
or different mid wife, etc. And that's not issues at all.
If that's the roots people want to take, that's absolutely fine.
But after all of this, you know, because we do
(08:06):
have only currently two private obstetricians in the NT, I
know one of them has resigned retired from doing obstetrician
work after she cares for all of her current women,
and the other one is considering leaving because she also
has to look after herself and her family and it
is her career that she's you know, they want to
(08:28):
be private obstetricians. They want to be able to deliver
this care and that's something that they're no longer going
to be able to do. So even if you know,
we have these alternative packages, are we going to have
an obstetrician that will follow us through the whole pregnancy
or will it just revert back to whoever's on call, etc. Yeah,
that's a lot of concerns for women because we want
(08:49):
to know, you know, as I said, with these high
risk pregnancies, they need the same obstetrican the whole way through.
One it's clarity, it's peace of mind, it's comfort, familiar faith.
But two it's they know their history, They know these women,
they know their birth plans, and they are there with
them every step of the way to make it a
personalized experience.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Ye Brook, in terms of you know, in terms of
ad IF families as well so Defense force families, I
would imagine, I mean, we've got a lot of those
families here in the top end, like I don't know,
I'm just sort of you know, thinking out loud. But
do you think we could see a situation where some
of those families and not wanting to be posted here? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
That look, that has actually raised concerns because look, I
also I'm not in ADF. I don't have association with them,
but I have spoken to some women who are or
you know it. So for example, my private obstetrician, she
cares for all of the ADF families and you know
expected mums. So what does that mean if they do
(09:55):
decide to leave or retire from being an obstetrician here
in the NT So I have also heard, as I said,
it's what I've heard from women who are pregnant in
the ADF. They've been offered to deliver into state. So
ADF will fly them into state to deliver their babies.
But what does that mean to their families? Do their
(10:15):
families not get to be there for the birth? Because
whether their husband you know, or their partner is in
the French Force as well, they may not be able
to just take six seven, eight weeks off to go
and travel into state and same thing pregnancies or whether
it's not a high risk pregnancy. They can't fly directly
after birth to come back home, all their friends and
(10:37):
family out surround them.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, this is the thing. But then what happens if
you do have you know, have some complications, and then
you're potentially away for a much longer period of time
than what you anticipate. You know, there's a lot that
does happen. A lot of women are able to you know,
to have their babies and not and you know, very
fortunate to not have any of those issues. But others
it's simply not the case, you know. I know, when
(11:01):
I went in to have my first bub I thought, oh, yeah,
no worries, I'll have my baby and be out of
here in a couple of days. Well, no, that wasn't
the case. You go in, I've ended up having an
emergency cesarean, you end up in there for a much
longer period of time. They're just you know, that's a
very common thing to have happened, let alone a baby
arriving extraordinarily early or having other health concerns Heaven forbid.
(11:28):
So there's a lot of different factors.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yeah, and if you have those health concerns, you can't
because you can't fly after thirty six weeks, and that's
just for a low risk pregnancy, and obviously you have
to get clearance from the obstetricians, so that means you're
having to fly at least four weeks before Bub's due. So, yes,
the family not surrounding them, and yeah, with the family
not being able to stay with you in the room.
So that was a big part for me because this
is our first baby. You know, I was so excited
the fact that whatever happens during the birth, you know,
(11:54):
because we just want Bub to come out safely, whether
that means means of cesian. I want my partner to
be able to stay with me in hospital and him
bond with our baby as well. Yeah, not having to
because we live fifty minutes away from the hospital. Yeah,
not having to travel back and forth every single day,
you know, and obviously you know they may do that
to go and collect things, but I wanted him to
(12:15):
also be able to, you know, lay there with me
and be a guest, not a visitor, and have those
restrictions of visit ours. Well, well, you don't like people
screaming in my room if you know they've got babies.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Yeah, yeah, Well, and you know, I think very often
when we talk about, you know, having a bub sometimes
dad's you know, I get the second thought, and obviously
you're the one having the baby. I get that, But
you want to make sure that dad's there and you
want to make sure that it's a good experience for everybody. Brooke,
you know he's looking as well. Have the Health Minister
(12:50):
Steve Edgington on the show tomorrow? What would you like
the Health Minister to know?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I think to some it all we want transparent updates,
don't We don't want this These packages are in the
works because as I said, that's what we're getting. That's
obviously what the media release was. And then any women
who have sent me their responses from the Health Minister's
office have been, oh, we're looking at these updates, just
(13:19):
in a different way of saying it. But there's no
there is no process, there's no exact where they're at,
where they're at with this. As I said, we want
to know where are you at with these packages, you know,
and if it isn't looking like you're going to do
it in five weeks, just be open and tell us
that because we need to start mentally preparing for that.
Our families need to start preparing for that, whether it's
(13:42):
we get extra family up to help us, but we
just want transparent updates. We want to know exactly where
you're at, what it's going to look like long term,
because this isn't just for us who are pregnant now.
It's for women who are in their families who are starting,
you know, to think about babies or their you know,
wherever they're at in their process. But we we just
(14:03):
want transparent updates and we want answers no longer just
these packages that they're in the works, because where exactly
are you at, well Brook?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
I think that that is a very fair call to
have that further details. So look, we are going to
catch up with the minister tomorrow. We'll put some questions
to him and try our best to get some of
that detail. Thank you very much for having a chat
with me this morning. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Thank you very much, Katie, appreciate you helping us. Thank
you this message.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Out, no worries at all, Thank you. Brooke