Women behind a slew of hospital complaints that led to a statewide inquiry into birth trauma say an investigation into their claims “glossed over” their pain.

The complaint was filed on behalf of 30 women who say they had traumatic birthing experiences at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.

They said the investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission did not address their claims. The first hearing of the Select Committee on Birth Trauma took place in Sydney on Monday September 4.

Narrandera woman Ariel Tonkies was among those who made a complaint, coming forward after giving birth to her first child at WWBH in 2020, an experience she said had left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said throughout the pregnancy hospital staff ignored her pleas for help while she showed signs of pre-eclampsia, and instead labelled her “overweight and anxious”.

Her condition got so bad that she was eventually unable to stand or hold a conversation.

Diagnosed with atypical pre-eclampsia, by the time she came to give birth, she was swollen and in constant pain.

She spent the next seven months recovering from a caesarean section, which she thinks could have been avoided if her care was handled differently.

Ms Tonkies said the lack of investigation into her claims was “disheartening”.

The Maternity Consumer Network (MCN) filed a complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) last year on behalf of the 30 women, who were angered by the outcome.

“There’s no acknowledgement that the hospital was wrong and doing things to them,” MCN president Emilia Bhat said.

The complaints alleged a range of issues, such as inappropriate use of induction of labour, poor pain management, human rights abuses and clinical incompetence.

The HCCC completed its report and made a number of recommendations to the hospital, including improving “the sustainability of senior medical workforce” and improving resourcing to “enhance complaint management”.

The HCCC investigation focused on “systemic issues” at WWBH and said it “would welcome” any individual bringing a complaint to them “directly” to ensure consent to obtain their health information.

Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr said he shared the concerns of the MCN and wanted to know why the individual claims were not investigated. 

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 7 September 2023.