A critically ill baby had to be transferred for emergency heart surgery after the only cardiac surgeon at a major Sydney hospital was on leave.

The baby was transferred 43km from Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead where he went into cardiac arrest.

He survived, but if the surgeon was available at the initial hospital the situation may have been prevented.

A senior specialist at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick Dr Michael Solomon tells Ben Fordham there is the danger a child will die as the result of a lack of services.

“It highlights the major issue that we have.

“Sydney has two major children hospitals, NSW has eight million people, you need two comprehensive children hospitals.”

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