Midwives are rallying at the Queensland Parliament building to highlight unsafe working conditions and need for funding.

Regional midwives are angry with Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government, who they claim failed to factor in midwives after providing $42 million in maternity funding.

In August, a safety audit from Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) said Queensland maternity inpatient wards were found to have single midwives being left to care for up to 20 mothers and babies at a time.

“The system is in crisis and we have the solutions – Queensland’s midwives must be heard and respected,” QNMU Secretary Kate Veach told New Daily.

“We are calling on Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and the state government to commit appropriate funding to midwives and midwife-led models of care now.”

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman acknowledged the pressures from QNMU in their call for action last week.

“There’s a range of things that our midwives would like to see happen. I’m absolutely committed to working with them,” she said.

“They’re out there today to make their case, and good on them. I look forward to sitting down with them…and making some more announcements in this space.”

Photo: Health Personnel Measuring a Newborn Baby by Vidal Balielo Jr. is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This photo has not been modified.