Table 1 Classification of remoteness for mother’s usual place of residence
DHF Health District | Darwin Urbana | Darwin Rural | Katherine | East Arnhem | Barkly | Alice Springs Urban | Alice Springs Rural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Area[19] | 3,122 km2 | 123,053 km2 | 344,957 km2 | 40,376 km2 | 294,640 km2 | 349 km2 | 545,707 km2 |
Estimated Resident Population (2004)[20] | |||||||
Indigenous | 10,682 (9.9%) | 10,097 (73.0%) | 9,084 (49.2%) | 8,813 (63.1%) | 3,284 (59.5%) | 5,182 (19.0%) | 9,744 (77.5%) |
Non-Indigenous | 97,637 (90.1%) | 3,728 (27.0%) | 9,390 (50.0%) | 5,153 (36.9%) | 2,239 (40.5%) | 22,050 (81.0%) | 2,830 (22.5%) |
Total | 108,319 (100%) | 13,825 (100%) | 18,474 (100%) | 13,966 (100%) | 5,523 (100%) | 27,232 (100%) | 12,574 (100%) |
Health service outlets[19] | 4 | 16 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 32 |
Birthing facilities available[21] | Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Darwin Private Hospital (DPH) | Women go to RDH for birth | Katherine District Hospital (KDH) | Gove District Hospital (GDH) | Tennant Creek Hospital (TCH) | Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) | Women go to ASH for birth |
Total number of births per region for 2003-2005 | |||||||
Indigenous | 636 (12.1%) | 749 (81.9%) | 656 (58.7%) | 690 (74.6%) | 264 (74.8%) | 351 (26.9%) | 600 (90.6%) |
Non-Indigenous | 4,614 (87.9%) | 165 (18.1%) | 461 (41.3%) | 235 (25.4%) | 89 (25.2%) | 955 (73.1%) | 62 (9.4%) |
Total | 5,250 (100%) | 914 (100%) | 1,117 (100%) | 925 (100%) | 353 (100%) | 1,306 (100%) | 662 (100%) |
Region | TE | TE | TE | TE | CA | CA | CA |
Remote / Urban status used in this study[21] | Urban | Remote | Katherine town – Urban Remainder of cases - Remote | Nhulunbuy town – Urban Remainder of cases - Remote | Tennant Creek town - Urban Remainder of cases -Remote | Urban | Remote |
Comments | RDH serves as a referral centre for the TE, Western Australia and South-East Asia. DPH started operations in 1987. Quality of reporting births to the NTMC stabilised after 1989. |  |  | Maternity services were discontinued during 2005 with subsequent births occurring at ASH. | Some ASH cases are referred to Adelaide, South Australia (1,500 km to the south of Alice Springs, Darwin is 1,500 km north of the town.) | ||