Queensland's health minister has rejected suggestions there is an ongoing threat to maternity services at two regional hospitals after it was revealed both struggled to find staff during a COVID-19 wave.
Email correspondence obtained by the state opposition under freedom of information laws detailed the efforts to find obstetrics staff last year for the city of Gladstone, where maternity services are slowly being restored after they went on bypass in July 2022.
LNP opposition leader David Crisafulli used the documents dating back to that period to accuse the Labor government of "deliberately hiding the truth" about maternity services in the state.
"At a time when Queensland mothers haven't been able to give birth where they live, the Palaszczuk government was more interested in covering up the truth than restoring maternity services for Queenslanders," Mr Crisafulli said.
"These emails reveal the maternity crisis runs far deeper than they are prepared to admit."
But Health Minister Yvette D'Ath rejected suggestions the hospitals at Gympie and Mackay were still at risk of going on bypass, which occurs when a facility has to divert patients elsewhere.
"Mr Crisafulli failed to tell the public ... that the email was dated July last year, and actually shows that the hospitals avoided bypass because of the great efforts they took to find temporary staff," she said on Wednesday.
"We had about 2500 staff furloughed for COVID at that time last year."
The attempts to procure staff from locum agencies, Mater Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital were unsuccessful, the July 8 email sent between the offices of Ms D'Ath and Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher says.
"Compounding this was emergent leave in Mackay service, whereby Mater was able to provide some cover and Metro North (Health Service) provided cover for the week in Mackay," the email said.
"To avoid Mackay going on bypass - all services were contacted including flying obstetrics and gynaecology services for rural and remote, Townsville, Sunshine Coast (who were close to going on bypass for Gympie).
"Staffing impacts are being felt in relation to COVID across the board."
The COVID-19 wave peaked in the state with a caseload of 1123 infections on July 26.
Queensland Health on Tuesday announced further progress for birthing services at Gladstone, with more options available for patients deemed no risk.
"If you have no known risks, you've had healthy births before, then you could be assessed as being suitable to have your baby at Gladstone," Ms D'Ath said.
The full resumption of low-risk services is anticipated mid-year after the hospital introduced round-the-clock cover for obstetric emergencies in February.
Gladstone Hospital had been on maternity bypass since July, which prevented most women in the city of 63,515 from giving birth locally unless by elective caesarean, forcing them to drive to Rockhampton instead.
