The future of birthing services in Flin Flon will depend on the outcome of a provincial clinical services plan.
Helga Bryant, CEO of the Northern Health Region (NHR), discussed the plan with Rotary Club members at the Dec. 6 club meeting at the Flin Flon Community Hall. Bryant was at the meeting to accept a $50,000 donation from the Rotary Club toward the NHR’s ongoing emergency department project, but took questions from group members about the state of healthcare in Flin Flon.
The NHR has encountered pushback after announcing last month that birthing services would no longer be available at Flin Flon General Hospital. NHR officials have stated the shutdown was a temporary measure due to potentially unsafe conditions for expectant mothers, not budgetary concerns.
Bryant said the provincial clinical plan has hamstrung some future plans for NHR, as well as other regional health authorities (RHAs) across the province.
“All of the RHAs, we feel like we’re in a little bit of a holding pattern right now as we are going through a huge exercise provincially; the first time this has ever happened in Manitoba. I don’t even know if any other provinces have done it in the same way we’re doing it,” she said.
The plan currently under development, overseen by the provincial health ministry, includes a review of all specialties available throughout the province, including obstetrics.
“For instance, for obstetrics in the province of Manitoba, where should obstetrics be delivered? Based on population, travel flow, birth rates, access to other centres? All those things considered, where should obstetrics be provided and how will it be provided?” Bryant said.
“As that planning happens, if it’s determined that obstetrics should occur in Flin Flon, we know that we won’t be left alone to struggle around the resources of that. There will be a plan for providing that, if that’s what’s seen to make sense for Flin Flon.”
Bryant said the NHR wants to restore full obstetric care in Flin Flon, but must have appropriate personnel on staff first, something NHR has struggled with since the last full-time obstetrician in Flin Flon left in 2017.
“That’s our challenge in Flin Flon right now. We have the desire to provide obstetrics, we just don’t have the resources. We cannot find obstetricians who will come to Flin Flon and provide that service,” Bryant said, adding that about 30 people from around northern Manitoba have been involved with the formation of the clinical services plan.
“It does make sense (administratively), because we are a small province. Our entire population is smaller than some Canadian cities. We need to be sensible about this and practical, while still trying to provide the best services we can, the highest quality of services we can and as close to home as we possibly can. I’m really excited about that planning process. We have lots of representatives,” she said.
Meanwhile, the We Want Birth group met with Bryant and other NHR officials last week, mentioning that there would be no news regarding the future of Flin Flon birth care until spring 2019. Further meetings are expected to take place in the coming months.
The We Want Birth group has announced plans to form a committee and host a community forum in January, including NHR representatives. We Want Birth organized a community forum shortly after the temporary shutdown was announced last month, but only NHR board chair Cal Huntley - in his capacity as Flin Flon’s mayor - attended the meeting.
