By Tracey Roberts
St John of God Health Care last month surpassed the 10,000 mark – with 10,000 babies born during 2014 at its hospitals for the first time.
The statistics mirrored the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s findings – which were released at the end of December 2014 – that the birth rate in Australia is increasing.
The Western Australian-based, private hospital operator has nine maternity units nationally, delivering an average of 30 babies a day.
The final delivery rates for 2014 meant that more than 10,300 babies were born across the group of hospitals before the end of the year. 2012 figures showed that some 9,461 babies were delivered in St John of God Health Care hospitals – which means 2014 figures delivered an increase of around 10 per cent.
To acknowledge the occasion, all babies born at a St John of God Health Care hospital on Thursday, 8 December – the day the 10,000 milestone was achieved – were presented with a gift, in conjunction with celebrations in maternity wards around the country.
In Western Australia, St John of God Health Care operates the State’s largest, and one of the oldest, private maternity units at the 116-year-old Subiaco hospital.
In 2014, St John of God Murdoch Hospital expanded its maternity services to meet the ongoing demand and added an extra birthing suite. The number of births is the highest ever with 2,200 deliveries recorded.
The health care group also acquired the former Mercy Hospital in Mt Lawley in 201, now named St John of God Hospital Mt Lawley, which is also well-renowned for its maternity care across generations. The Mt Lawley Hospital is also looking to surpass delivery rates on the previous year and reach more than 1,500 babies born.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last month released its report Australia’s mothers and babies 2012, which found that for the first time in five years, there has been an increase in the rate of births in Australia.
The report found that a total of 307,474 women gave birth to 312,153 babies in 2012, a 3.4 per cent increase from 2011 and a 21.5 per cent increase since 2003.