Maternity And Birthing Services Boost For Mackay

Women in Mackay are set to experience a significant enhancement in maternity care, thanks to an election announcement from the Queensland Labor Party. A $20 million investment will establish a state-of-the-art birthing centre, ensuring that families in the region receive the highest quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth.
The Mackay Birth Centre will provide a welcoming, home-like environment for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, allowing them to give birth with the support of dedicated midwives.
“We want to empower women with more choices when it comes to their birthing experience,” says Belinda Hassan, Labor Candidate for Mackay.
“We know the mental health and wellbeing of both new and expectant mothers is crucial during the perinatal period.”
Strategically located near the hospital, the new centre will feature modern birthing suites, family and community spaces, and educational workshops. This design aims to create a tranquil atmosphere that is still close to medical facilities, ensuring that women can receive immediate care if needed. The former Mackay Birth Centre facility needed to be removed to make way for the development of an additional wing of the hospital. Birth Centre clients will continue to receive care with their midwives in a dedicated space within the Women’s Health Unit, until a new birth centre is constructed.
Labor said it is collaborating closely with the Mackay Hospital and Health Service and local community groups to ensure the new facility meets the specific needs of the region’s residents.
In addition to the birthing centre, Mackay will benefit from four new mother and baby mental health beds as part of a broader $39 million investment to deliver 30 perinatal mental health beds across Queensland.
“That’s why we will build a new birthing centre in Mackay in partnership with the health service and local community and deliver four new mother and baby beds in Mackay,” Ms Hassan explained.
This initiative will provide crucial support for mothers, allowing them to receive care in a familiar environment close to their support networks.
The announcement was welcomed by Friends of the Mackay Birth Centre, a community organisation that supports the midwives who work at the Birth Centre and the families that birth there.
These advancements in maternity care come alongside the $250 million expansion of Mackay Base Hospital, which will introduce new birth suites, additional beds, and dedicated women’s and children’s health units. Currently, Queensland has only 12 public perinatal mental health inpatient beds located in the southeast, making the new investments particularly vital.
“Midwives have built strong relationships with mothers-to-be, and this new birth centre will be a continuation of that tradition,” Ms Hassan added.
“The Mackay community deserves these enhancements in maternity and mental health services, and we are committed to delivering that.”
To ‘Start a Life with a Midwife’ please contact the Mackay Birth Centre on 07 4885 6933.

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Local mothers, Friends of the Mackay Birth Centre representative Nakia Watters and Labor candidate for Mackay Belinda Hassan welcomed the announcement to fund a new birthing centre in Mackay. Photo supplied

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