Campbellton obstetrics unit likely to remain closed for upcoming year as staff shortages continue

Vitalité Health Network confirmed Tuesday that, despite its recruitment efforts, Campbellton Regional Hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology unit likely won’t open in the coming year.

The unit has been closed since spring of 2020 due to an ongoing shortage of obstetric specialists – both physicians and nurses.

Women from that area have been going to Bathurst, which is more than an hour away, to give birth.

However, prenatal and postnatal case services are still available at the hospital for pregnant women in the region.

Shortages of healthcare professionals continue to plague many parts of New Brunswick.

On Oct. 16, Horizon Health Network sent out a memo to family doctors and nurse practitioners in the Fredericton and Upper River Valley area, asking that they stop sending routine vaginal swabs to microbiology labs due to staffing shortages.

The health authority says demand is already high within those labs because of the respiratory season. Instead, they’re asking that only specialists send along these samples unless a family doctor feels a test is necessary. Horizon clarified it’s a temporary measure to help with the current demand, and does not include papanicolaou tests, otherwise known as a pap smear, which are still able to be processed.

Community leaders are also trying to find ways to help recruit and retain healthcare workers, saying it needs to be a community effort.

Fredericton’s Chamber of Commerce just returned from their national annual general meeting in Calgary, where representatives introduced a resolution calling for a simplified way to recognize out-of-province and international healthcare credentials.

It’s an issue that’s received lots of national attention, but movement on any changes has been slow.

In the meantime, the Chamber’s policy manager Morgan Peters says they’ll continue working on making Fredericton welcoming for prospective doctors. For 14 years, they’ve had a committee in place to support new doctors to the area.

“Helping spouses find employment, or childcare is a big one these days, and ways to incorporate them into the community, to increase the chance of retention,” he said. “The other thing we've been doing over the last few years is to provide some business training for family docs in particular. A lot of people don't realize when you're a fee-for-service doctor, as soon as you begin practicing, you're also a small business. And they don't teach a lot of that in medical school.”

The Chamber recently held a physician appreciation event in early October, where about 150 physicians attended.

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