Megan Cook, holding her son Rhett, does not know what she would have done without the care provided during pregnancy at the Family Medicine Maternity Clinic. The clinic will be closing and is not accepting any new patients after the end of October.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
A local mother with a newborn is questioning whether those who decided to defund Medicine Hat’s maternity clinic have any children of their own and understand the full impact of their decision.
“It’s a reflection of our provincial government’s true colours,” said Megan Cook.
Cook was a patient at the FMMC and has baby boy that is a few months old.
“I am very glad that we had the support of the maternity clinic. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it and I don’t know what we’re going to do moving forward,” she said.
The maternity clinic has systems in place to provide information and ask questions so that she was well prepared. As her due date approached she could see the list indicating which doctor would be on duty to deliver her baby and that brought comfort. She calls the maternity clinic a “vital resource” to keep women safe across this region.
Alberta Health Services, which became responsible for the clinic when the province shifted that away from Primary Care, told the News on Friday that the Family Medicine Maternity Clinic in is not a “mandated service.”
When the clinic’s eight remaining physicians were told by AHS that they would have to pay rent, utilities and staff if it was to remain open, they said it was not financially feasible because they don’t even bill the government that amount for their services.
Treena Klassen, executive director Palliser Primary Care Network, confirmed that PCN used to pay 80 per cent of the cost to run the clinic but its funding was cut by the province.
“The PCN has experienced a confluence of budget pressures including no per-capita funding increase since 2012 along with increasing government mandated responsibilities and accountabilities,” said Klassen. “These government mandated objectives have resulted in an ever tightening budget for the PCN. As we set our 2020-2021 budget we determined we can no longer fund the FMMC.”
AHS will not fund the maternity clinic in Brooks either, a spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
Patients not registered at the maternity clinic in Medicine Hat by the end of October will no longer have that option, says Dr. Gerry Prince, who helped establish the clinic 17 years ago. Those already registered will receive services through to delivery of their baby.
Ravyn Pisoni is four-and-a-half months pregnant with her first baby. She is already registered at the clinic but says many of her friends in the very early stages of pregnancy do not have that option and have no idea what they will do.
“I just think that is totally unfair,” said Pisoni. “It’s definitely not a good thing.”
FMMC handles about half of the baby deliveries in Medicine Hat for a total of 500 to 600 annually. This equates to 9,000 prenatal visits each year.
Most doctors do not deliver babies and due to liability issues some only handle prenatal care to about 20 weeks, said Prince.
