Minister 'very confident' private maternity care will return to Darwin

Private maternity services could soon make a long-awaited return to the Northern Territory, with a new operator set to take over Darwin Private Hospital — but a critical shortage of health staff is casting doubt over how long it might take.

Calvary Health Care announced yesterday it was acquiring 14 Healthscope hospitals across the country, including the troubled Darwin facility, which has faced scrutiny since its maternity ward abruptly shut last year.

The closure forced the public Royal Darwin Hospital to absorb hundreds of extra births, straining staff and resources, and all private obstetricians left the Territory.

Since then, some families have reported choosing to have their babies interstate.

On Monday, NT Health Minister Steve Edgington told the ABC he welcomed Calvary's takeover and reiterated the Country Liberal Party (CLP) government's commitment to taking "any legal, legislative or economic action" required to reinstate private maternity services.

But Mr Edgington would not be drawn on a plan, how long it would take to achieve, or whether the Territory would need to pitch in and subsidise costs associated with running the service.

"During our preliminary discussions with Calvary, they've indicated they will be working with us to reinstate maternity services at the private hospital in Darwin," he said.

"We're very confident that we'll be able to reach an agreement.

"If that involves bed buys and a whole range of agreements with Calvary, we're going to certainly look at all options.

"And once those options are on the table, we'll weigh them up like any good government does."

Calvary's acquisition is still subject to regulatory approvals and while the NT government is calling it a win, Shadow Health Minister Chansey Paech said the celebration had come too soon.

"The CLP government have carried on for some time that any future agreement would absolutely, front and centre, feature maternity services for the private hospital," he said.

"But [the] announcement falls short of making it clear that there is that service on offer.

"Territory mums have already lost this service once, they should not be left reading between the lines to work out whether it is actually coming back."

Staffing constraints in Top End

Last month, the head of NT Health issued an urgent plea for more staff, warning Darwin's hospitals had been grappling with critical shortages for months.

Australian Medical Association NT (AMANT) vice-president Dayna Duncan said those staffing challenges remained a concern and could slow Calvary's progress.

"Maternity services don't just pop up overnight," she said.

"Our workforce at all times at Royal Darwin Hospital is stretched to capacity, across almost every department, and we've normalised a state of crisis.

"We don't just need private obstetricians, we also need midwives, paediatricians, anaesthetists, and we'd much rather see a long-term implementation that's sustainable rather than a snap implementation that's not sustainable."

Advocacy group Our Birth, Our Voice's Danielle Mulhall said Calvary stepping in had given local families hope of once again having access to private maternity services, but she said she wanted to see it enshrined in the hospital's operating licence.

Calvary, a Catholic provider, has previously featured in media reporting for prohibiting elective abortions and voluntary assisted dying within its existing facilities interstate.

However, Dr Duncan said the AMANT was not overly concerned at this point as referral rules remained in place, meaning access to care could not be blocked.

"If you have a patient who comes to you and says 'I would like a termination of pregnancy', and that's not something that you personally do due to conscientious objection, then you have an obligation to effectively refer," she said.

"We as a territory will just need to make sure that we keep an eye on it.

"As the AMA, we're talking to our doctors, we're talking to our members to make sure that the system is set up in a way that doesn't impact patients."

Mr Edgington said he expected the hospital transition to be complete by November 30 this year.