By Melissa Meehan, AAP
Women in labour and in need of emergency Caesarean births have been strapped to a stretcher and carried through a stairwell at a Melbourne hospital because of a broken elevator.
In photos seen by AAP, staff at Angliss Hospital, in the city’s outer eastern suburbs, have been practising lifting and sliding a stretcher using a system of ropes to get to an operating theatre.
Another photo shows a pregnant woman on a stretcher surrounded by nursing staff, while many other women were put through the ordeal in recent days.
Eastern Health has since temporarily moved maternity services to Box Hill Hospital while the lift is being fixed.
Eastern Health would not confirm whether the stretcher and winch was used to move patients between levels, but a number of sources confirmed it had taken place.
“Eastern Health are in the process of replacing the lift at our Angliss campus, however the replacement of such a significant piece of equipment will take some time,” it said in a statement.
“The maternity service at Angliss Hospital requires reliable access to this lift in order to facilitate time-critical clinical procedures.”
It said care of patients was of “critical importance” and the move to Box Hill was the safest outcome for all concerned.
AAP is unaware of anyone being injured during the manoeuvre.
Eastern Health said patients had already been moved to Box Hill Hospital and midwives were in the process of contacting expectant mothers to discuss their options.
It is believed the number of beds and birth rooms at Box Hill is increasing to accommodate the influx of patients.
It is not known how long it will take to get the replacement part to fix the elevator, but staff believe it could take months.
Eastern Victoria Region MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake described the incident as “appalling” and described it as a systematic failure of the health system.
“I am advised the lift has been faulty for quite some time. The Angliss seems to be the hospital on the hill that is out of sight, out of mind to this government,” she said.
“Child birth is a wonderful and exciting time for expecting mums and their families. They deserve a high standard of care that is sadly not being met by this government.”
A Victorian government spokesperson said the health and safety of patients and staff was the highest priority.
“Eastern Health is working quickly to fix the issue with its lift, and we’ll work with them to ensure they continue to provide the best maternity services possible while this is underway,” they said in a statement.
