Province puts corporate pals ahead of pregnant women, NDP critic says

By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A government serving corporate friends over everyday Albertans is putting pregnant women and their babies at unacceptable risk — especially those in rural and remote areas — an NDP shadow minister has charged.

Rural hospital closures and doctor shortages are forcing pregnant women to travel hours for care and overwhelming health services in major centres, said Julia Hayter, status of women critic.

“Women’s health care in Alberta is in crisis. Women with high-risk pregnancies cannot see a specialist until 30 weeks, putting both mothers and babies at serious risk,” said Hayter, the member for Calgary-Edgemont.

Obstetrician-gynecologists are overwhelmed, and patients sometimes wait seven hours for emergency C-sections, Hayter told the legislative assembly Feb. 25.

“Yet as this health care crisis unfolds, the health care minister is busy firing a CEO who dared to investigate bloated contracts (and) procurement awarded to UCP friends,” said Hayter, directing her questions at Health Minister Adriana LaGrange.

LaGrange pointed to a $20-million addition from the government to research women’s health issues, and to a strategy to improve midwifery because of the difficulty in attracting practitioners to rural communities.

 “As a woman who’s had seven children herself, I think I’m capable of understanding the issues that women face during pregnancy,” said LaGrange. “We are working very diligently to make sure that we improve services right across the province, particularly to our rural, remote (areas), including Indigenous communities where they say they have a lack of services.”

The province has more midwives than ever and will continue to recruit more surgeons, added LaGrange, the member for Red Deer-North.

Hayter noted that midwives do not perform C-sections. She also said the government is dragging its heels on fee code changes endorsed by the Alberta Medical Association.

The fee changes would “directly improve women’s access to essential health care services,” said Hayter.