A desperate mother thought her baby was dead when she was forced to give birth on the side of the freeway after being 'kicked out'of St John of God Hospital.
UPDATE: A shocking investigation reveals critical failures in Perth’s maternity care after a mother was forced to give birth in the back of her car on the Kwinana Freeway. St John of God Midland Public Hospital has just released a Severity Assessment Code 1 (SAC1) report that emphasizes urgent changes in protocols for birthing mothers in maternity bypass situations.
On November 13, 2022, Lena and her partner Abdul experienced a traumatic ordeal when they were turned away from their local hospital due to a lack of available beds. The report highlights how Lena was not informed of the maternity bypass status for more than two hours, despite being in active labor. Instead of being provided with an ambulance, the couple was advised to travel an hour to Rockingham General Hospital, where conditions were equally strained.
As Lena’s contractions intensified, she was allowed to crawl into her family’s Toyota Kluger, where she gave birth to baby Sofia just 20 minutes later, amidst panic and confusion. In a frantic call to emergency services, Abdul feared for their newborn’s life, shouting, “Hey, hey, hey, it’s not breathing. I need help.” Miraculously, the couple managed to untangle the umbilical cord, and Sofia survived.
Following the couple’s harrowing experience, the hospital’s investigation revealed alarming gaps in maternity care procedures. The report indicates a lack of policy requiring staff to perform immediate vaginal examinations before transferring patients, which severely compromised the evaluation of Lena’s condition.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat has emphasized that all recommendations from the SAC1 report will be implemented to prevent similar incidents. The report calls for mandatory ambulance transfers for mothers in labor during bypass situations, stating, “Had there been any complications, the back of a car would have been the most inappropriate place for the child to have been born.”
The investigation found that the bypass directive was issued at 5:30 AM on the same day Lena arrived at the hospital at 3:35 AM. Alarmingly, it took over two hours for Lena to be informed of the hospital’s status. The report concluded that the hospital should have conducted a thorough examination of Lena before allowing her to leave, highlighting serious flaws in clinical decision-making.
Mr. Suresh Rajan, a community advocate representing the family, has raised concerns about the capacity of hospitals to accept new patients during peak times, suggesting that staff may have been overwhelmed. “It’s unfortunate that we’re in a state of play with our hospital system that it’s going to take media stories before we get action,” he stated.
The hospital is required to submit a progress report on the implementation of these recommendations within the next six months. The urgency of these changes cannot be overstated, as they aim to safeguard the health and safety of mothers and newborns in critical situations.
As the healthcare system in Western Australia faces scrutiny, officials are under pressure to ensure that no other families endure such a traumatic experience. The SAC1 report marks a crucial step towards better maternity care, one that the community hopes will lead to lasting improvements across the system.
Stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops.
