July 29, 2003 – The Minister of Health of Quebec, Doctor Philippe Couillard, wants to open the doors of hospitals in the province to midwives.
Since the legislation of their practice in 1999, midwives have been confined to the seven birth centers in Quebec. The law does allow them to integrate into hospitals, but negotiations on practice agreements with them have always failed.
Minister Couillard intends to turn the tide. The government is finalizing an agreement with the Regroupement des midwives du Québec, which will define the remuneration and conditions of practice of midwives in hospitals. Negotiations should be concluded within a few weeks. Three hospitals, two in the Quebec City region and one in Montreal, have already expressed their interest in setting up a pilot project, which should encourage others to follow suit.
The College of Physicians of Quebec has long been resistant to the idea of admitting midwives to hospitals, but the glaring shortage of staff would now create a different dynamic that would cause physicians to be more open. of spirit.
The gynecologist and obstetrician Sylvie Dodin, holder of the Chair for the Advancement of an Integral Approach to Health, was trained in Europe, where midwives have been integrated into hospitals for a long time. She sees several advantages for Minister Couillard’s intentions.
“I think it’s a very interesting idea,” she says. The ideal would be to reproduce in the hospital the atmosphere of the birthing centers, since this would allow the patients to benefit at the same time from the medical technology, if ever a glitch arises during the childbirth. It could also reduce health costs: a midwife can very well take care of a delivery without complications, but at the same time there would be an obstetrician on call available if necessary ”.
Quebec is also studying a draft regulation that would define the conditions under which midwives could perform home births.
In Quebec, since 1994, close to 6,000 births have been followed by a midwife, and the demand for this type of service increased by 10% in 2000. In Ontario , at the height of the SARS epidemic, the professional association of midwives reported that its members were inundated with requests, especially from women who were afraid to go to hospital to give birth.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
From Le Devoir, canoe.com and CNW; June 16 and July 9, 2003.
