Parents plead for Adelaide hospital upgrade after baby deaths

Parents of children suffering heart problems are pushing for paediatric cardiac facilities in Adelaide after the death of four babies at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Ingle Farm boy Charlie Parsons was born in Melbourne and spent his first four months there due to a rare heart defect as his family feared the hospital in his home state was not equip to deal with his condition.

"If we had been in Adelaide, Charlie wouldn't be here," mum Winnie told 9News.

A lack of infant heart and life support services has been blamed for a "cluster" of deaths that have sparked a review by SA Health announced by Health Minister Stephen Wade this morning.

Eight-year-old Adelaide girl Abby Baker is also among those forced to travel interstate to Melbourne twice for heart surgery.

Abby said she feels "more safe" in Adelaide, with her mother overcome with emotion as she discussed the risk she felt in her home town after the deaths.

"These are lives, these are little babies that parents have fought for," mother Kylie Baker told 9News through tears.

"It just shouldn't have happened," she said of the deaths.

These families argue their struggles could have been easier and less risky if there were paediatric care surgery services at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital.

READ MORE: Push for new facilities after four babies die in a month in Adelaide

But Health Minister Stephen Wade said the hospital had an independent review stating "that establishing a paediatric cardiac surgery would lead to worse outcomes."

Mr Wade said the hospital's board, which meets next month, was being responsible and proactive.