Physician calls on province to pay for more doctors to deliver babies in northern Ont.
CTV
Between Timmins and Thunder Bay, only Sensenbrenner Hospital in Kapuskasing has an operating obstetrics department.
Between Timmins and Thunder Bay, only Sensenbrenner Hospital in Kapuskasing has an operating obstetrics department.
Chief of staff Dr. Jessica Kwapis said Sensenbrenner currently has three physicians who can deliver babies, but due to the heavy workload, one is resigning in December.
"We are back to the situation with two physicians who are providing the coverage and who are frankly unable to maintain 24-7, 365 (day) coverage any longer," Kwapis said.
"We need to not only recruit another GP physician to fill that third vacancy, but also in the meantime we need to be able to provide or to have locum or visiting GPs come and provide obstetrical care to fill those gaps."
Sensenbrenner Hospital is also experiencing additional pressure since Notre-Dame Hospital in Hearst closed their obstetrical service in June 2023 because of the retirement of their only obstetrical provider -- who also had been working seven days a week -- unless he was out of town -- for more than 25 years.
Kwapis said since that retirement, seven women in Hearst delivered babies outside of a centre with obstetrical care.
