The only obstetrician at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish is leaving in August.
The departure has left expecting mothers not knowing where they’ll give birth.
Greg Boone, the director of issues management with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, says the departure will not stop hospital officials from providing obstetric care while NSHA officials work to recruit a new obstetrician.
Boone tells The Hawk they’re working on temporary solutions until a new permanent obstetrician can be hired.
“What we’ve been doing is looking to identify what we call locums,” he says. “That would be visiting physicians- and, in this case, visiting specialists- who can support the work of an obstetrics team at Saint Martha’s, and in the broader community.”
Boone says he’s confident coverage will be in place by August.
He says clinics have been, and will continue to be, communicating with patients on alternative treatment arrangements for expecting mothers, who may need to travel to their next nearest hospital to give birth.
