By ANGELA GREGORY
The Government is expected to give more money soon towards doubling the number of urgently needed cots for the specialist care of tiny babies at Middlemore Hospital.
The hospital's neonatal unit burst at the seams last week and four pregnant women at risk of early delivery were transferred to
Auckland or Waikato hospitals.
Two of the women delivered twins soon after the shift, and another delivered a baby at 25 weeks.
Middlemore neonatal specialist Dr Lindsay Mildenhall said the six-cot intensive care unit was inadequate for the amount of deliveries each year in South Auckland.
"We are the tightest unit in the country. We need twice that many cots."
Dr Mildenhall said the unit was seriously overstretched three or four times a year.
But after lobbying the Ministry of Health and Treasury, he was optimistic that money would soon be confirmed to refurbish the unit and double the number of cots.
Dr Mildenhall expected the Government would pay for most of the $3 million to $4 million project. A two-week public appeal next week would seek money for extras like parent and family facilities, a breast-feeding room and milk expressing equipment.
Dr Mildenhall said it could take up to two years to complete by which time he hoped more neonatal nursing staff would be available.
"If the new unit was in place tomorrow we would not currently be able to staff it."
He said neonatal work was a popular but stressful choice for nurses, with a high turnover. The problem was compounded by the general nursing shortage.
Dr Mildenhall was aware that Christchurch and Wellington neonatal units were also short of cots, and Waikato was not far behind.
But rumours that babies might be have to be flown to Australia were rubbish, he said.
Every day neonatal units nationwide log onto a website to see where there were spaces.
