Once again, it is a lack of manpower among nursing staff that forces pregnant women to go to Rimouski to give birth.
This is the third service disruption since the start of 2021 and the longest. These situations have been increasing for more than a year at Matane hospital.
The Integrated Health and Social Services Center (cISS) du Bas-Saint-Laurent is already warning that the situation could repeat itself during the summer season. Several interruptions also took place last summer and in the fall.
The cISS ensures that it will continue its efforts to recruit and train nurses. Full-time positions are available to interested candidates.
Theoretical training in obstetrics will also be offered to nurses at the hospital starting in the fall. This is a specialty which requires special training and not all nurses can replace an absent person at short notice.
Earlier this year, called to comment on another disruption in obstetric services in Matane, the president of the Federation of Nurses for the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Cindie Soucy, attributed the problem to problematic management of human resources.
Ms. Soucy felt that work needed to be done to make positions attractive and to effectively meet the replacement needs of care teams.
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