Registrar Tells Inquest That Caesareans Are ‘Frowned Upon’ Across QLD Health

An inquest into baby Nixon’s death�has heard that requests for caesareans are ‘frowned upon’ across Queensland Health because they are less cost-effective and carry greater risk.

First-time mum Simone Tonkin had to undergo an emergency caesarean at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital in June 2014 after her son, Nixon got stuck in the birthing canal.

Shortly after delivery, Nixon died due to skull fractures, hemorrhaging and brain swelling, possibly caused by the midwife’s fingers pushing against his head to reverse the obstruction.

An obstetric registrar told an inquest on Tuesday that Mrs Tonkin did not meet any of the guidelines for a caesarean section. During her pregnancy, she had gestational diabetes, hypertension, depression and was carrying a large baby.

The registrar said she believed requests for caesareans were ‘frowned upon’ across Queensland Health because normal vaginal births were ‘more cost effective’. “There’s always a pressure to aim for vaginal birth over caesar,” she said, adding that�as a major surgery, caesareans have more side effects and a possible financial burden for patients. “A normal vaginal birth is the best outcome but an emergency caesar is the worst outcome, so it’s a grey area in between,” she said.

However, an obstetric consultant told the inquest she had not found cost effectiveness to have been an issue in her experience.

The court heard that the World Health Organisation’s guidelines state that caesareans should only be carried out when medically necessary.

The registrar also noted that RBWH was more than willing to do caesareans than other places because of staff ethos.

In a statement, clinical director of obstetrics and gynaecology Karin Lust said cost was never a factor when deciding whether to carry out a caesarean section. “As we’re a public quaternary acute hospital caring for a number of high-risk pregnant patients, our caesarean numbers are often higher than the state average,” she said.

The inquest continues.

Sources:�Dailymail.co.uk�and�Au.news.yahoo.com

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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