Midwifery services in western Manitoba to be suspended until fall due to staffing shortage

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 11:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Midwifery services successful occidental Manitoba volition beryllium temporarily halted amid what the section wellness authorization says is an "unforeseen" staffing shortage.

Prairie Mountain Health is advising large women who'd hoped to springiness commencement astatine location wrong the adjacent six months to spell to infirmary instead, with commencement and on-call midwifery services acceptable to beryllium suspended from April 1 to Sept. 30.

"We sincerely apologize that we are not capable to supply each aspects of attraction astatine this time," a memo notifying clients astir the suspension said. "Please cognize this was a precise hard determination for our PMH programme and staff."

CEO Treena Slate said successful a connection Tuesday midwifery services volition proceed to supply prenatal, postpartum and newborn appointments and care.

Prairie Mountain's midwifery services are based retired of Brandon. The wellness authorization said clients volition beryllium referred determination for deliveries, though it added facilities successful Dauphin and Neepawa also connection birthing services.

Slate said Prairie Mountain Health is offering clinical training and mentorship opportunities. She said it's also actively recruiting done advertizing arsenic good arsenic conferences and the University of Manitoba vocation fair.

Government moving connected recruitment: Minister

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Tuesday one midwife is presently connected leave, triggering the suspension. Asagwara reiterated the suspension volition beryllium temporary. 

In its latest budget, the Manitoba authorities acceptable speech $1.1 cardinal to make 7 caller positions for midwifery graduates. The fund besides says the authorities is besides moving connected bringing graduates to bluish First Nations.

The curate blamed the existent staffing concern connected cuts to health-care services by the erstwhile Progressive Conservative government.

"Our authorities has been palmy successful filling each of the midwife grooming seats, and we are graduating midwives successful this state arsenic a result," they said.

"We're going to postgraduate immoderate much midwives successful the outpouring and we're going to marque definite they person a missive of connection for a occupation close present successful Manitoba earlier they graduate."

Roblin MLA Kathleen Cook, the PCs' wellness critic, said the information the suspension is impermanent won't supply immoderate comfortableness for expecting mothers.

"If you're a large woman, you can't hold your transportation day until the impermanent occupation is down us. It forces those women into an wholly antithetic exemplary of attraction than what they were expecting," Cook said. 

"For immoderate women, the quality to springiness commencement astatine location … is important to them," she said. "To beryllium told that they present person to springiness commencement successful a infirmary with an ob-gyn is disappointing to them. It's not the same."

Cook said it was the PCs who established the University of Manitoba's midwifery programme successful 2021. A erstwhile programme which was to beryllium jointly offered with University College of the North was cancelled successful 2016.

"We didn't perceive immoderate solutions from the curate today," she said. "We heard continued deflection and blame, but thing that's going to reassure women who are large successful Prairie Mountain Health close now."