Haggie addresses obstetric concerns in Gander

Five specialists to fill roles between July and September

Health Minister John Haggie recently addressed ongoing concerns about obstetric shortages at James Patton Memorial Regional Health Centre.

With the only obstetrician currently on leave, it was announced last month the Gander hospital wasn’t able to provide around-the-clock obstetric services. As a result, Central Health decided to divert expecting mothers to Grand Fallswindsor until further notice.

Mayor Claude Elliott said this has been an issue for nearly a decade, and questioned the health authority’s motives.

“Personally, I think Central Health is not trying to recruit. I think they want to move it to Grand Falls-windsor permanently,” he said. “It seems like we’re always short pediatricians and obstetricians.”

The mayor, a retired paramedic, is concerned the extended travel could result in babies being born in transit between hospitals.

Along with a recent announcement that Gander would be the base for a midwifery pilot scheme, Haggie said there are steps being taken to fill vacant positions at James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre.

“We have five specialists committed, signed document, to come between July and September — one is an obstetrician, two are pediatricians and two are internal medicine specialists,” he said while addressing the Gander Rotary Club.

“I think, with the combination of midwives … plus a small core of specialists, it will stabilize the system.”

Haggie said the ongoing obstetric issues are part of a much larger issue facing the province’s health care system.

Retention of doctors in specialized fields is not what it used to be, the minister said.

“You will not get a practitioner anywhere to come and stay for 25 years (anymore),” he said. “What you do is plan for a shelf life, if you like, for eight to 10 years.”

Over the course of this period, Haggie said, priorities and focus for the specialists begin to change, so the province needs to be ready to respond when practitioners are ready to move on.

“What we have to do — as a community, government, regional health authority — is to make that transition smooth and painless,” he said.