External midwife joins Qld hospital probe

A professor of midwifery with no connection to the Mackay Hospital will be part of a clinical review sparked by allegations of public harm at the Queensland facility.

The appointment of Mary Sidebotham, a professor of midwifery at Griffith University, was announced on Friday after the state Opposition raised questions about the independence of the review.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the appointment of two Sunshine Coast University Hospital experts raised concerns that it was a case of "Queensland Health judging Queensland Health".

Mackay Hospital and Health Service chief executive Lisa Davies Jones said she sought the appointment of a senior and experienced midwife "external to Mackay HHS" to provide advice on cases involving midwifery and medical care.

She will join the two initial appointments from the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Professor Edward Weaver and Dr Greg Duncombe.

A dedicated hotline set up to take evidence for the inquiry has already received almost 60 calls.

At least one doctor has been suspended at Mackay Hospital.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has also suspended the facility's accreditation to train obstetricians and gynaecologists.