NDP bill would expand midwifery services, reduce strain on health care

HALIFAX – New Democrats will table legislation today to increase midwifery services in the province, easing the strain on primary health care. Midwives are primary care providers with expertise in pregnancy care, birth and postpartum care, and newborn care.

“We have tens of thousands of people in Nova Scotia without a doctor or nurse practitioner, and a rising number of newborns not attached to primary care. Midwives want to help address the health crisis, and we need to make this care available for Nova Scotians who want and need it,” said NSNDP Leader Claudia Chender. “Midwifery care results in better outcomes for both parents and babies. This is a crucial part of our health-care system that is being underutilized.”

The NSNDP bill would amend the Midwifery Act to have one midwife available for every 14,000 people in each health management zone. It would require the government to set a goal to increase the number of midwife-led births in the province to 10 per cent or more of total births by next year, and 30 per cent of births by 2027.

According to the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives, midwife-led births accounted for just five per cent of births in Nova Scotia in 2021, below the national average of 14 per cent. Kalyn Moore is the interim president of the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives.

“Midwives are vital to the health-care system as primary care providers. Our work leads to optimal health outcomes, we address the immediate gaps and shortfalls in access to pregnancy, birth, postpartum, newborn and sexual and reproductive health care in our province, and we deliver cost savings to the health-care system,” said Moore. “Not only do we need to increase the number of midwives in the province, but we also need to expand the geographic regions where they are available. We appreciate that this proposed legislation aligns with our association’s goals.”

Less than half of patients who requested midwifery care at the IWK between 2016 and 2023 were actually accepted into care. The percentage of clients waitlisted annually for midwifery care grew by 13 percentage points between 2016 and 2023.

“Many communities across Nova Scotia have no access to this vital service. Midwives are eager to help ease the strain on our health-care system. They just need the support to do so,” said NSNDP Health Spokesperson Susan Leblanc. “We want this province to be a place where people can grow their families and know they can get the care they need.”

New Democrats will also table legislation today to create a program designed to address nurse vacancies in hard-to-fill areas.

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