Amy Gerang-Hall, a resident of Bangalow, NSW, had received a medical exemption to cross the border into Qld with her daughter, Davina, for a specialist MRI scan.
Queensland Health told Gerang-Hall, however, that they are treating all patients from NSW as if they were from a hotspot. This meant that they were restricted to the hospital’s Emergency Department only.
However, she explained that her daughter needed an MRI, located in the MRI department, which they are not allowed to enter.
“We are in chaos now, we don’t know when it’s going to be rescheduled and it just leaves us in limbo with her,” Gerang-Hall said.
The mother of two said that because of her age, Davina has to go to the Queensland hospital so she has the right specialists involved and that they do not have the neurologists at Lismore Base Hospital; their hospital in NSW.
“The appointment was going to give us clarity on what’s going to happen with her … and whether we just wait or something else needs to be done, so it’s a bit of a worry,” she said.
Gerang-Hall just wanted to know if her baby was okay as she had been struggling to breastfeed her when she — what they think — suffers from migraines.
CHILDREN’S AND INFANTS’ LIVES AT RISK
Gerang-Hall’s situation is not an isolated case, the list of people permitted to cross into Queensland from NSW is being trimmed down.
Only workers who are “essential to the functioning of Queensland” are allowed to enter from NSW. As of 1:00 am Saturday, those who are labeled as essential will need to have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to cross the border.
Those who apply for exemptions will have their situations closely assessed by a relevant government department to determine if they are absolutely essential.
Chris Ingall, a pediatrician in Lismore, NSW, said he was concerned border complications were placing infants’ and children’s lives at risk. He cited that just last weekend they had four babies and children who required emergency care.
“Three of those four we had to send down to Newcastle because Queensland Health dictated that the parent would have to go into separate, self-funded hotel accommodation for two weeks of quarantine away from their child,” he said.
Gerang-Hall has booked in with Davina’s GP for next week.
