Safe care being provided for all expecting mothers in the area
By Lethbridge Herald on May 6, 2023.
Editor:
We want to reassure you that safe obstetrical care remains available in Lethbridge and area.
For a variety of reasons, a number of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) physicians are no longer available to work or have left the City of Lethbridge over the last year. Recently, there has been concern raised in the community about the number of obstetricians and the capacity for quality OBGYN care at Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH).
Lethbridge currently has three permanent OBGYNs on staff at CRH, with two on leave who are expected to return later this year.
At this time, there are 14 family physicians from both the city and the zone who help with on-call coverage and support low-risk delivery in Lethbridge. We are also working to recruit family physicians with an interest in obstetrics.
As has been previous practice, we will continue to bring in locum OBGYN physicians to ensure appropriate on-call coverage for obstetrical and emergency gynecology patients.
Further, every effort is being made to recruit additional OBGYN care to support the community and surrounding area. Women’s health remains a high priority and we are not taking this physician shortage lightly.
We are grateful for the dedicated family physicians, obstetricians and locum physicians who have stepped up to assist and fill the gaps in coverage providing high quality patient care.
As part of our multifaceted approach to support obstetrical patients, Alberta Health Services established a physician led prenatal clinic at CRH. If you are pregnant and need prenatal care, please contact your family physician. If you do not have a family physician, please call the hospital at 403-388-6111 and ask for the prenatal clinic. We are continually looking at ways to enhance the clinic and better serve patients utilizing its services, and are working diligently to build a sustainable, long-term prenatal program.
We are also receiving excellent support from our local midwives. Families under the care of a registered midwife have the option to give birth at home, at a birth centre, or in a hospital where the midwife has clinical privileges. There are seven registered midwives with clinical privileges at CRH.
We know this situation has been stressful for many families. With the help of locum physicians, family doctors and midwives, we will continue to provide safe care for all expecting mothers.
Thank you for your patience as we work through our recruitment processes to add to our obstetrical team.
Dr. Aaron Low, South Zone Medical Director
Dr. Gerry Prince, Associate Zone Medical Director
15-14
appreciate your nice take on the current state of affairs here, and only wish it was near as nice. to share my humble take, it does not seem near enough that we have only 3 obgyns; that 2 of them are on leave – not at all negging them – seems to compromise us all the more. moreover, correct me if i am mistaken: there is a very fine obgyn who was part of a very fine practice here that went on leave but is not expected to return to practice, at least not here (perhaps that obgyn that is on leave was not part of the figures provided).
BIFF, can you not read? Your comments not only contradict that which was reported but also deviate extremely from the facts that were provided. Nice try though your “orange” is truly showing through!
indeed my comments contradict – 3 obgyns for a city of 100k! and 2 are on leave! hmm, that leaves one at the ready. and i am asking the writers if they are factoring in that we have very recently lost an obgyn, and if so, then we have only two, and still only one at the ready. moreover, i am asking whether they are being totally honest in their letter?
in case you are unaware, obgyns do a heck of a lot more for the female anatomy than look after pregnancy.
thanks for giving us the providers perspective. The issue of health care has become too political in this election cycle and one party in particular seems to think they can produce Drs out of thin air if only they get elected.
Good to hear some practical, supportive, workable solutions to a problem which exists in all provinces,,,even the shangra’la just west of us.