THE state government is being urged to build another public hospital in Melbourne’s outer west after it was revealed mums-to-be are being turned away by Werribee Mercy Hospital.
As reported by the Weekly, the hospital has capped the number of babies that can be born in its maternity ward each month, as it struggles to keep up with demand for its services.
Tarneit’s Emma Gillman, who is 6½ months pregnant, said she called Werribee Mercy when she was six weeks pregnant to book for its midwife delivery program, only to be told the hospital was full on her due date. She will have her second child at Sunshine Hospital.
Other women had made complaints to Victorian Health Services commissioner Beth Wilson.
Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland said the government needed to build a public hospital to service Wyndham and Melton residents.
“The need for hospital and health services should have been planned for many years ago – governments knew that the population was set to rapidly expand, yet failed to plan for services for these communities.
“The government continues pushing out the urban growth boundary and increases the population though there aren’t even enough services for the existing communities.”
Melton Council has been lobbying for a public hospital in the municipality to ease pressure on Werribee Mercy and Bacchus Marsh and Melton Regional hospitals.
Mercy’s executive director Linda Mellors said it was working with the government to allow an extra 200 births at the hospital by July next year.
