IWK midwifery program hires a part-timer
Posted Jul 12, 2012 07:11:29 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The IWK has doubled its staff in the midwifery program, but there are still only two midwives working at the hospital, and one of them is part time.
The Midwifery Coalition of Nova Scotia says this is a step in the right direction, but also says a lot more needs to be done to serve women in the HRM.
The Coalition’s Catherine Berry says women in the Halifax region don’t have a lot of options if they want to give birth with a midwife.
“If you’re in HRM, the only place that midwifery is available at all is the IWK, and that was basically established by the Department of Health,” said Berry.
The IWK used to have four midwives on staff, but because of funding issues, that number dropped to only one midwife in December 2010.
Now the Health Centre has two midwives on staff. The hospital confirms it re-hired a second midwife who returned to part time work last week.
Berry says the program needs to expand further.
“Certainly a good step in the right direction, but there needs to be very many more steps before women have the kind of service that they want,” said Berry.
The IWK has not commented on the circumstances behind the staffing problems in the midwifery program.
