VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Midwives say they can be part of the solution to the family doctor shortage in BC. They're asking the provincial government to double the number of seats in
UBC's midwifery program to help ease the crunch.
The doctor shortage is especially being felt up north. New research shows there is one family doctor for every 3,000 people in the northern half of Canada. In the southern half of the country, the ratio is about 400-500 to one.
Ganga Joliceur with the
Midwives Association of BC says her group can be part of the solution. "What we are talking about is a total vacuum in some areas. It's not about doctors versus midwives. It's actually about no maternity care versus some maternity care."
Joliceur says doubling the number of seats in UBC's midwifery program, the only one of its kind in BC, from 10 to 20 is a good place to start.