When Tasmanian mother Corrie Summers was in the maternity ward earlier this year after an emergency caesarean, she did not expect cigarette smoke in her suite with her newborn baby.
It was a sweltering summer day in February, and desperate for some fresh air, Ms Summers decided to crack a window at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
"There was no air conditioning, no fans were allowed, and I understand it was for COVID control, but it was just absolutely stifling," she said.
"The ambient temperature in the actual birth suite got to about 29 degrees [Celsius] on each consecutive day."
Ms Summers said she was in a shared room.
"We were both just sweltering and the only air that we had access to was through the window which we could only open a very small amount.
Smoking is prohibited in all buildings and on the grounds of the LGH, and the public health act imposes financial penalties on anyone who fails to follow the no-smoking rules.
However, some people have their smoke break at the Ockerby Gardens, a community park next to the LGH which is owned by the Launceston City Council.
Ms Summers said the smoke from the gardens was wafting into the maternity ward.
"You try to do everything perfectly for your baby, and something like that, that was completely out of my control, caused a level of anxiety that I still haven't quite come to terms with."
"I believe it contributed to my development of postnatal depression as well, which I'm receiving treatment for.
Council, hospital 'could be sued'
Smoke Free Tasmania convenor Kathryn Barnsley said: "The situation at the LGH with smoke wafting into rooms is horrendous."
"I'm absolutely astonished that they're allowing cigarette smoke to waft into maternity areas."
According to the Australian government's Department of Health website, children and young people exposed to second-hand smoke are at greater risk of serious health and development problems.
These include asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, poor lung development, ear infections, respiratory illness, and behavioural problems.
Dr Barnsley said it was not a difficult process to declare areas smoke-free.
"Councils can do it, the director of public health can do it," she said.
"It should be enforced that there's no smoking in areas where smoke can affect patients.
'People are allowed to smoke', Mayor says
Launceston Mayor Albert Van Zetten said the council was first notified about this issue about two weeks ago.
"We need to take a commonsense approach," he said.
"We need to look at areas that work with the LGH staff and make sure they smoke in the right areas of the garden. And if that can't happen then we'd obviously have to look at banning smoking in the garden."
However, Mr Van Zetten said making the area smoke-free could lead to other issues.
"Where are all the patients, where are all the staff of the hospital going to smoke?
"They've banned it on their properties, so if we ban it at Ockerby Garden are they going to go outside someone else's businesses? Are they going to go to someone else's home to smoke?"
Ms Summers said she would like to see the Launceston City Council and LGH work together to develop a solution.
"Moving the smokers' area to somewhere the staff could still enjoy that facility in their breaks, as they're entitled to do, but not impact the smallest and most fragile of our community, being our newborn babies in the first week of their life, [is the solution]," she said.
"It's not going to change my experience but if I can help it change for the next generation of mothers coming through there, it will be well worth it."
Smoking area 'under council jurisdiction', LGH says
In a statement, LGH director of operations Jen Duncan said the hospital had "clear signage in place across the precinct advising that smoking is not permitted and hospital security staff successfully enforce this policy on-site".
"As a consequence of the smoke-free hospital environment, smokers often choose to smoke on surrounding footpaths and park outside hospital grounds," she said.
"This includes an area within a moderate proximity to the LGH maternity ward and dedicated signage has been erected in this location to discourage smoking.
"The Tasmanian Health Service is committed to reducing harm caused by smoking and offers smoking cessation programs to staff and patients."
