Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to express my great disappointment with the recent decision by the Minister of Health and Social Services to cancel the Midwifery Program in Yellowknife.
Two years ago at this time Members on this side of the House articulated concern for the long-term survival and sustainability of this program in Yellowknife, the NWT’s largest community. In the two years since, many Yellowknife families have been able to use the services of YK’s one and only midwife, but many have not. All reports have been positive. Mothers are very pleased both with the birthing options available to them and the services provided by the midwife.
Since October 2005 Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority has provided midwifery services in Yellowknife. When announcing the new program in 2005, the Health Minister of the day promised funding to expand the program from one to two midwives. Five and a half years later the program still operated with just one midwife. Today, six years after the program was started, there is no midwifery service in Yellowknife. It should be obvious to the Minister from the number of protesters outside the Legislative Assembly today -- about 70, I’m told -- that there is a demand in Yellowknife for midwifery services.
The practice of midwifery is an ancient one and I believe one well suited to the unique geographical conditions of the NWT. We should be expanding this particular program to more communities, not reducing it. We should be considering the practice of traditional midwifery in our smaller communities, something that our ancestors did naturally many years ago.
The department has stated that it will conduct a Midwifery Program review and expansion analysis, although no time frame has been identified to receive the results of that review. I support that action as necessary to properly plan for, develop, and then fund a viable Midwifery Program, but the Yellowknife Midwifery Program should be continued while that review and analysis is undertaken.
In his letter to Members last week, the Minister indicated he wants to receive input from MLAs. Well, here’s mine: find the money and reinstate the Midwifery Program at Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the beginning of the 16th Legislative Assembly, I and others, as you’ve already heard today, have been raising the delivery of midwifery services throughout the NWT as a concern and an opportunity. These services continue to remain popular and provide significant value to residents of the Northwest Territories. Until recently, there have been three midwives practicing in the Northwest Territories, two in Fort Smith and one in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah.
Recently, the Minister announced that the midwifery services here in Yellowknife have been placed on hold and that a review of the services throughout the Northwest Territories is currently underway.
Mr. Speaker, the Midwifery Profession Act, proclaimed in 2005, provides for the licensing, registration, and regulation of registered midwives in the Northwest Territories. Midwives have been active intermittently in Yellowknife since 2006 and in Fort Smith for over 10 years. Midwives are health care professionals who provide low-risk women with the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour, delivery and after birth. Their care includes preventative measures, detections of complications in mother and child, and accessing further medical assistance if there is a need.
The midwife has an important role as a health counsellor, an educator, not only for the mother but also for her family and the community. Midwives may practice in any setting, such as homes, clinics or hospitals. Women in midwives’ care do not normally see a physician unless complications arise. That reduces the workload on general practitioners currently performing routine examinations on expectant mothers. Obstetricians and gynaecologists are open to the partnerships with midwives to make sure that mother and child receive quality care.
Mr. Speaker, midwifery is publicly funded in five jurisdictions, including the Northwest Territories. The province of Alberta has recently allowed insurance coverage to midwife services. Although there is growing popularity for midwives here, an increasing number of expectant mothers are being turned away due to the limited funding for midwifery programs.
Mr. Speaker, there is clear public support for midwife services here in the Northwest Territories, including here in Yellowknife. As a government, we need to take advantage of the opportunity at hand and expand the role of midwives throughout the Northwest Territories. There is a clear opportunity for us to support community and regional births and reduce the overall costs on our health care system.
Mr. Speaker, later today I’ll be asking the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services some questions on the current review being conducted by the department, and the future of midwives within Health and Social Services here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleagues, I rise today with great concern that the midwifery services have been temporarily suspended in Yellowknife effective May 6th. I believe that this is an incredible disappointment to many families who want access to this excellent service that was being provided to mothers and newborns.
Over the past several years many MLAs, including myself, have been calling upon this government to expand the much needed services in our community, and now the Department of Health and Social Services is conducting a program review and expansion analysis to develop options for the territorial Midwifery Program. Mr. Speaker, all they had to do was just listen to MLAs to hear it was working.
Well, this is both a welcomed and disappointing surprise, Mr. Speaker, because at the same time we’ve been calling for the expansion, now they have to shut down and think about how they want to do it.
Mr. Speaker, there was only one person providing midwifery services here in Yellowknife and truthfully was working way beyond any person’s natural ability and capacity, while at the same time, sadly, they had to turn people away because the demand was so great and the need for this service has continued to grow.
As we all know very well, midwives in Canada are trained specialists who care for women throughout their pregnancy and birth, and further they offer aftercare services to mothers and babies for the first few weeks after that birth. Mr. Speaker, in my view, the midwives are a fundamental part of our health care team of our future in the Northwest Territories.
As I’ve said before, in Fort Smith there are two midwives providing these services, and I continue to hear rave reviews of the work and services they provide their community where resident physicians are sometimes difficult and hard to find. To add to that point, last year in my travels, I crossed paths with the National Midwifery Conference being held in Edmonton. The midwives from all across our nation who were taking part in that program discussing what they’re doing there had nothing but great things to say about the examples being done here in the Northwest Territories. More specifically, they commented about the great work being done in Fort Smith as a blueprint to the future success of midwifery in Canada.
Building upon that success in Yellowknife, there has been only one midwife for some time. It was a huge challenge, but clearly she was up to it. Now the local program has been suspended. If I can describe it this way: the program here in Yellowknife was a gleaming beacon of success with unprecedented support from the public, health care partners, mothers, families, and politicians like myself. With support like that, perhaps it was doomed from the beginning.
I will have questions for the Minister later today.
