Expectant Mothers Left Behind -- “Rural British Columbians are being treated like second-class citizens”
The BC Conservative Caucus is raising the alarm after a troubling notice from the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC), warning pregnant women that obstetric services may be reduced starting in August due to a shortage of specialists. The notice confirms that some patients may need to be transferred, potentially hundreds of kilometers away, for safe delivery. UHNBC is the only tertiary care hospital for obstetrics in all of Northern BC. It’s where hospitals from Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Hazelton, Terrace, and Prince Rupert already send high-risk pregnancies. Now, even UHNBC may no longer be able to care for them. “Northern Health has been aware of this looming obstetrics crisis since January, and there are still no solutions locally or from Victoria. This is what the collapse of a health care system looks like,” said Kiel Giddens, MLA for Prince George–Mackenzie. “If you’re an expectant mother in the North, the message is clear: BC can’t deliver the standard of care you deser...