After months of uncertainty, Northern Health has confirmed that maternity care for high-risk pregnancies at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) will continue uninterrupted through August and September, following a successful push to fill critical staffing gaps.
The update comes as a relief to residents across Northern BC where UHNBC serves as the region’s only tertiary obstetrics care centre. Earlier warnings had indicated that due to a shortage of Royal College-certified obstetricians and gynecologists, patients with complex pregnancies might need to be transferred to hospitals in Kamloops, Kelowna or Vancouver to deliver safely.
Now, through the concerted efforts of UHNBC’s obstetrics and gynecology team, support from locum specialists and ongoing recruitment efforts, all on-call positions for the next two months have been secured, Northern Health has announced.
“This ensures continued access to safe, high-quality maternity care at our Labour and Delivery unit,” Northern Health said in a statement.
The original announcement in late July drew harsh criticism from local MLAs and opposition parties. Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Kiel Giddens and Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird accused the province of treating rural residents as “second-class citizens” and failing to act despite knowing about the staffing crisis since January.
Doctors of BC and Northern Health officials acknowledged that UHNBC currently operates with only three obstetricians in a unit built for eight. Recruitment from across Canada and internationally remains ongoing, though credentialing for foreign-trained doctors takes time.
Despite the short-term fix, many, including healthcare workers and local politicians, say long-term solutions are still needed to prevent further disruptions. These include streamlining interprovincial licensing, expanding local medical training, and improving provincial support for northern hospitals.
For now, Northern Health says expectant parents in Prince George and across the region can be assured of stable care through the early fall.
