As temperatures soared to a high of 34 degrees in the city on Monday, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian branch secretary Emily Shepherd and Deputy Labor leader Michelle O'Byrne spoke of the heat-related health risks for newborn babies and their mothers that, without air-conditioning, could be exacerbated.

In honouring an election commitment, the state government has installed air-conditioning upgrades in the state's public hospitals but the maternity ward at the LGH has been a notable omission in the works schedule.

Ms Shepherd said the ANMF had been calling on both Liberal and Labor state governments to fully roll out air-conditioning at the LGH for "around six-to-eight years".

She described the LGH maternity ward as an "incredibly busy unit" and noted that midwives were sometimes required to wear personal protective equipment over their uniforms, adding to their discomfort in the heat.

"Clearly, in any other area a mitigating strategy would be to stop work [when temperatures are high]," she said. "That isn't an option when providing 24/7 care for women and babies at the LGH maternity unit."

It's recommended that newborn babies have a regulated temperature of 19-20 degrees, but Ms O'Byrne said it was "assumed" that temperatures were reaching the 30 degree mark in the ward on hot days.

She added that it was difficult for mothers and babies to establish breastfeeding patterns in higher temperatures.

"[The ward] also [doesn't] have a temperature gauge so it's hard to tell how high the temperature's getting," Ms O'Byrne said.

One of the performance criteria in Tasmania's Health Services Establishments Code states that "a health services establishment must provide appropriate air temperature control that will provide a safe and comfortable environment for patient, staff and visitors".

A Tasmanian Health Service spokesman said $1.4 million had been invested to upgrade air-conditioning at the LGH over the last two years and that priority areas had been selected by hospital management in consultation with senior staff.

"Further upgrades will be considered as part of the ongoing $87.3 million Launceston General Hospital redevelopment, in consultation with the community, staff and stakeholders," the spokesman said.