WAGGA Base Hospital’s obstetrics dilemma should be classified as a national emergency and the Federal Government needs to step in, a senior obstetrician says.Dr Pieter Mourik, a former provincial fellow with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, based at Albury-Wodonga, said yesterday he was not surprised by news the Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) cannot attract full-time obstetricians to Wagga.And, according to Dr Mourik, the area health service only has itself – and the State Government – to blame.Greater Southern this week revealed plans to hire a private company to provide Wagga Base with locum obstetricians while it continued its attempt to attract full-time staff.The impending departure of the hospital’s acting director of obstetrics, Dr Shelby Jarrell, at the end of the year prompted the announcement by GSAHS director of medical services, Dr Joe McGirr.Dr Mourik said the combination of Wagga’s poor facilities, incompetent administration and bad reputation it incurred when the area health service launched legal action against Wagga obstetrican Dr George Angus, had left its mark.“This isn’t something that happened overnight. The women of Wagga should be getting together to demand attention to these issues and it needs to go to the Federal Government,” Dr Mourik said.“It is a national emergency. Greater Southern has totally failed the public along with NSW Health and Wagga provides critical services to a vast area of NSW.”Dr Angus’s case made headlines around the world which ruined the area health service’s reputation, Dr Mourik said. A baby which was delivered by midwives at Wagga Base in 1995 was seriously injured during birth and developed cerebral palsy.The child sued the hospital and won a settlement of $7.5 million and Greater Southern launched a damages claim against Dr Angus, claiming he was partly responsible as the on-call obstetrician.That claim by Greater Southern failed in the NSW Supreme Court in 2007.Dr McGirr said yesterday that negative media attention coupled with a shortage of specialists and inaction on behalf of the area health service in responding to applicants had seriously affected the ability of Greater Southern to recruit permanent obstetric staff.Greater Southern had, at times, been too slow in responding to applications from obstetricians interested in working at Wagga.By the time the area health service did respond, applicants had already accepted other positions, he said.He also admitted national media attention focussed on the Dr Angus’s case and the death in 2005 of baby Angelo Perri, who died as a result of birthing complications at Wagga Base and whose parents, Julie and Frank Perri appeared on A Current Affair in 2007, had taken its toll on the recruitment effort.“Still, no-one has ever been held accountable,” Mrs Perri said yesterday. “I’m not saying those issues shouldn’t have been raised,” Dr McGirr said.“I don’t want to come across as blaming anyone - it’s fair enough to raise issues but there is a negative view about obstetrics in Wagga,” Dr McGirr said.