Arabic version: استحواذ كالفاري يثير الآمال بعودة رعاية الأمومة الخاصة في داروين

According to ABC News, Calvary Health Care’s planned takeover of Darwin Private Hospital could help restore private maternity services in the Northern Territory. The hospital is included in Calvary’s acquisition of 14 Healthscope hospitals across Australia, although the deal remains subject to regulatory approvals.

The hospital’s maternity ward shut abruptly last year, requiring Royal Darwin Hospital to absorb hundreds of additional births. All private obstetricians subsequently left the Territory, while some families have reported travelling interstate to have babies.

NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said the Country Liberal Party government was prepared to consider legal, legislative and economic action to bring back the service. He said the government was “very confident” it could reach an agreement with Calvary, including possible bed purchases and other arrangements if required. He expects the hospital transition to be completed by November 30.

Shadow Health Minister Chansey Paech said the announcement did not clearly guarantee the return of maternity services. Australian Medical Association NT vice-president Dayna Duncan welcomed a new operator but warned that rebuilding care would require private obstetricians, midwives, paediatricians and anaesthetists. She said a sustainable long-term implementation was preferable to a rapid one.

Our Birth, Our Voice’s Danielle Mulhall said the development had given local families hope, while calling for private maternity services to be included in the hospital’s operating licence. Dr Duncan said referral rules remained in place for patients seeking care where a practitioner had a conscientious objection, but said the Territory would need to monitor whether the system affected patients.