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In Western Manitoba, the option for home births will be unavailable for six months as Prairie Mountain Health has announced a suspension of midwifery birth and on-call services from April 1 through September 30.
During this period, midwives will continue to provide care before and after childbirth; however, all births will occur in hospitals located in Brandon, Dauphin, and Neepawa, under the supervision of medical doctors and nursing staff. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara assured the community on Tuesday that measures are in place to ensure pregnant individuals receive necessary care during this transition.
“This is a temporary adjustment to our services,” Asagwara stated. “Nonetheless, the plan designed to address this situation is thorough and aims to guarantee that women and families in need of care will continue to receive it in a comprehensive manner.”
Sarah Davis, vice-president of the Midwives Association of Manitoba, expressed concern over how this hiatus will impact expectant families, particularly those who prefer the comfort and familiarity of having a trusted care provider during childbirth.
“The bond that forms between a care provider and a patient can significantly influence their experience and outcomes,” noted Davis.
The cessation of midwifery services is primarily attributed to an unexpected shortage of staff, according to a statement from Prairie Mountain Health. Davis pointed out that the midwifery center in Brandon is supposed to have seven full-time positions but will only have three or fewer available this summer. This staffing level is inadequate, especially since two midwives are necessary to support home births.
As a broader concern, the province reportedly has fewer than 60 midwife positions overall, compounded by years without local training opportunities. “Our midwifery education program is relatively new, leading many prospective midwives from Manitoba to pursue their education elsewhere and then settle down where they trained,” Davis commented.
Minister Asagwara has attributed part of the staffing issues to cuts made by the previous Progressive Conservative government, which terminated a bachelor program at the University of Manitoba in 2016. Health critic Kathleen Cook criticized the current government’s temporary solution, emphasizing that the uncertainty surrounding childbirth for expectant women cannot be alleviated by the promise of eventual restoration of services. “Women cannot simply shift their delivery dates to align with the resolution of this temporary crisis,” Cook asserted. “It compels them to transition to a completely different care model than anticipated.”
In response to the current challenges, the provincial budget introduced last week allocates $1.1 million to establish new midwifery positions throughout Manitoba, including in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
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globalnews.ca