Frustrations with obstetrician shortage prompt hospital response

It’s an issue being felt across the province, particularly in smaller cities like Sault Ste. Marie.

The lack of obstetricians and gynaecologists in the area has left families and mothers questioning the logistics of healthcare capabilities in the community.

In a recent press release, the Sault Area Hospital says they’re in a position where they will only have one full-time obstetrician/gynaecologist in the city beginning in November.

Elysha Devoni, a resident and new mom, says she experienced this shortage firsthand as a patient when she unknowingly went into labour at 26 weeks in 2021.

Her water never broke, but severe cramping and pain prompted her to go to the emergency room. She was assessed by a nurse at 2 in the morning, and since the obstetrician on-site was busy, Devoni says she was told to go home and call her doctor in the morning.

By the time she was seen at 1:15 in the afternoon later that day, Devoni was 3 cm dilated.

“They don’t deliver in the Sault earlier than 32 weeks; the hospital isn’t equipped for that,” she says. “But I was too far into labour by the time they located another hospital to send me to.”

At just 26 weeks, Devoni delivered a healthy baby girl by c-section inside the Sault Area Hospital.

While she commends the efforts of the healthcare staff who helped pull off a successful delivery, Devoni admits the situation could have been averted.

“If one doctor had time to see me overnight, I might have just made it to London,” she says. “I could have possibly stopped my labour. It’s bad to say in my situation – we got lucky. I know another mom who didn’t get lucky. It’s hard here.”

During her pregnancy, Devoni saw her obstetrician for regular appointments, but she explains other expecting mothers haven’t been so fortunate.

“I know people who have to see their family doctor up until the 24-week mark now,” she says. “Some people who are more high-risk that can’t get into the OB office are just being sent to Toronto.”

In the press release from Friday, the hospital says they are working with healthcare providers to develop a Prenatal Care Clinic that would support obstetrics and gynaecology needs in the community.

“The future vision is to build an integrated health service bringing together Obstetricians, Obstetric Internists, Registered Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners, including family planning, early pregnancy care (including termination), gynaecology, and comprehensive obstetric medicine (low and high risk),” the release stated.

“Low-risk patients cared for in the Prenatal Care Clinic will receive prenatal care at Sault Area Hospital, provided by Registered Midwives,” it continued. “An on-call Obstetrician will provide labour and delivery care to the patients of this clinic. Family Doctors and Nurse Practitioners will provide post-partum and newborn care. If a patient should become high-risk during their pregnancy, they will be referred by the Midwives to a high-risk prenatal program with OB.”

While the information in the release is aimed to help those who are currently pregnant, it didn’t address some of the other concerns women are experiencing outside of pregnancy.

Another mom in the Sault, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was asked to consider having an endometrial ablation – a surgical procedure that removes the lining of a women’s uterus.

Because she was too young for the operation, the mom needed to wait several years before contacting her obstetrician.

She recently inquired about the procedure and found out her doctor was retiring and wasn’t seeing anyone else. She then needed to ask her family doctor for a referral.

“My doctor warned me the situation was dire and that it would likely be a very long time,” she says. “However, she sent the referral, and it was rejected. Not just, ‘you’re on a waiting list for two years,’ but simply, ‘we will not accept your referral.’”

The mother explains her only option now is to travel to southern Ontario for a minimum of three appointments if she wants to get the operation done.