Nyssa Stadtmiller, expectant mother and wife of Hilltops Councillor Matthew Stadtmiller.
The recent retirement of long standing and well-renowned obstetrician Bill Meagher has left the wider community of Hilltops and surrounds with one obstetrician in Dr Diane Larcombe.
The last doctor standing with obstetrics training, she joined the practice in Young in 1993, there were seven GP obstetricians, then just three by 2014 when another retired.
“The last one retired in 2014 and we have been looking for a replacement since 2013,” Dr Larcombe said.
This will result in Dr Larcombe continuing in her role, serving the community and expectant mothers for the foreseeable future as the only locally based obstetrician.
Locums will be provided by Murrumbidgee Local Health District in the interim until Young can attract another obstetrician to the area. It is envisaged that more than one will be needed to share the important role in a wider community where up to 150 babies are born at the Young Hospital each year and a Council area of over 19,000 residents.
Doctors and Medical staff met with Hilltops Councillors at the Young District Medical Centre in early March to discuss with Councillors the need for advocacy from Council to attract an Obstetrician and the reinstatement of a rental subsidy totalling $100 a week for a 12 month period for a new obstetrician.
The rental subsidy ceased when the former Councils of Young, Harden and Boorowa were merged into Hilltops under forced amalgamation Administration. The funding was previously provided by YSC.
More recently the plight of local mothers has been reported on by national newspaper media and local media over the last few weeks, however, Hilltops Council has not yet moved to solve the issue of the lack of obstetricians.
This has prompted the Stadtmiller family of Harden to provide the funding for a rental subsidy for a period of 12 months to a total value of $5200. This funding can be used to cover an obstetrician or a procedural GP which also covers anaesthetists which are also required to provide an obstetric service.
Nyssa Stadtmiller is an expectant mother of her third child with her husband, Hilltops Councillor Matthew Stadtmiller.
She has given birth to her first two children at Young Hospital and plans to do so with the current pregnancy. She said, “This isn’t just an important issue for my family, it is a very important issue for the wider community and mothers all over the region. Our midwives are great, but there are birthing situations which require an obstetrician. One of my two births already has.”
Councillor Stadtmiller said, “Council is too slow to react on this issue, the reinstatement of the subsidy should have been in the business paper for April 28 for the meeting held last Wednesday at Boorowa. We need leadership on this issue, not leaders sitting back. The best way to do this is to set an example. That is what my family is doing.”
Nyssa said, “We hope that by doing this, those in the community will be philanthropic and get behind our local doctors and provide some funding to attract an obstetrician. It affects all of us, mums, dads, families and the whole community. Younger families take into consideration what services are available when they look to move to a community. If we don’t attract more obstetricians it could stifle the growth of the Hilltops area. We can’t allow Dr Larcombe to become burnt out. We need to help her now.”
Councillor Stadtmiller said, “Council has just received its audited financials for the year ending 2020. It shows a deficit of over $10 million dollars. It’s all well and good to have shiny new things but my focus is on the things which save lives. I called for a road and bridge audit early on in this term which was voted down. I’m calling on Council to provide more incentives so that we have a strong medical fraternity in the area. Saving lives and making sure those who live in the LGA feel safe and secure. We have already lost a nursing home at Harden, we can’t afford to lose maternity services at Young Hospital like they did at Yass in 2004 and Temora in 2017 with the latter reopening. Since then we have seen babies born on the side of the road on the Barton Highway.”
The Stadtmiller family hopes that others will follow their lead.
Councillor Stadtmiller said, “We have to have attractive packages to get these obstetricians working in regional areas like this. The first thing many of the applicants ask is ‘What can Council do to help us?’
“At this stage it’s unclear what Council will do. What we have done, is just the start. I’m calling on our local members Steph Cooke and Michael McCormack to now provide further advocacy and funding to address this issue.”
