Mums busting because hospital refuses to spend

Tag : Floor Clocks
Mums busting because hospital refuses to spend Deborah Gough July 27, 2008 Page 1 of 2 | Single Page View
Who thought one toilet would be enough for 50 pregnant women?
'IT LOOKS nice from the outside, but they could have made it a bitbigger" — that's what most of the mothers and mothers-to-besay to me about the new Royal Women's Hospital. The Women's, as itwants to be known, is certainly more snazzy than the squat,matronly building down the road that once served as the city'sincubator.
Patients and staff at the much-anticipated and needed Women's arenow greeted with a Michael Meszaros sculpture depicting the manyfacets of women's health at the Grattan Street entrance. Thebuilding's stunning facade even appeals to my three-year-old, whoannounces every time we go past, "That's where my baby will be born," before gazing longingly at the playgroundequipment over the forecourt's high wall.
Yet despite the great fanfare and backslapping as Premier Brumbyopened the hospital last month on time and on budget, not all is asit appears. For all its modernity and technology, the Women's hassome serious failings, including a reduced ability to do its job— deliver the next generation of Melburnians.
As more women in their mid-to-late 30s are taking the baby plungebefore their biological clocks seize, the Women's has the capacityto deliver 1000 fewer babies than the old "matron". One month old,and the Women's desperately needs another two floors.
Then there is the issue of functionality. Sure, there's been animprovement on the old building, where the ward windows werecovered in a sticky mesh-like film that no doubt increased theanxiety of new mums who were warned their babies needed sunlight tocure their jaundiced complexions.
But privately, medical staff have griped about the limited carspaces at the new building, and wondered why mothers must take twolifts to get from the car park to the hospital floor they need.
The architect and government may well argue that these are smallproblems and won't affect the quality of medical care, but there isone issue they can't spin. The problem is not a quick fix, either.It is an integral design fault that any mother would understand. Itbecame glaringly obvious when I went for a check-up recently. Afternegotiating my way to the first floor and checking in, I asked thequestion that any expectant mum would ask sooner rather than later:"Where can I find the toilets?" Continued... Page 1 2 Single Page View