The obstetrics department at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan remains closed, except in cases of imminent deliveries, as the search continues for physicians to staff the unit.
“Our goal continues to be to reopen that obstetrics department,” said Candace Kopec, executive director of the St. Joseph's Hospital. “The community has wanted it. We are working on getting the resources needed.”
The biggest barrier, she said, is physician coverage.
Currently, three contracts are available for family practice anesthetists. These are general practitioners with an additional year of training in anesthesiology. Another three contracts are available for general practitioners with enhanced surgical skills who are qualified to perform Cesarean sections if needed.
“These are hard-to-recruit positions,” Kopec said.
She and her team recently travelled to Winnipeg for a rural and remote physician conference to build connections and promote the available roles.
“We’re hoping we can just build some of the contacts and find physicians that are willing to come to Estevan,” she said.
Kopec noted that they began working with the Ministry of Health just over a year ago to develop a physician coverage model for obstetrics. Contracts were awarded late last year.
“In the last four months, we’ve talked to physicians in those positions elsewhere in the province who are finishing up their training to see if they’re interested,” she said.
Two physicians have been interviewed so far. One has completed training, and the other is still in the process.
“It’s really about having those conversations with as many physicians as possible just to let them know these positions are available.”
Kopec said Estevan MLA Lori Carr has been a strong supporter of the initiative.
“She’s been a huge advocate and a big supporter of pushing services forward,” she said. “I truly believe she had a role in awarding these positions, having conversations and advocating for the community.”
She also expressed gratitude for the community’s continued support.
“We’ve had so much support in every area of this hospital, and we want to give back,” she said. “We want all of those fundraising efforts to not go in vain. It makes us even more motivated to continue recruiting, to continue those conversations with physicians and to advocate for our community, especially for obstetrics.”
As for when the department might reopen, Kopec said it is difficult to predict.
“It’s really tough to gauge,” she said. “Someone needs to start in Estevan and we can build upon that, but we won’t know what it looks like until we get that first contract covered.”
Kopec emphasized that the nursing staff is ready and eager to resume obstetrical care.
“I would say that we have an incredibly dedicated group of nurses who really want to provide this service,” she said. “We also have support from other areas in the province, like Regina and Yorkton, to ensure our nurses can stay up to date with their training. We have lots of pieces in place. We are just waiting on physician recruitment.”