Beaufort Delta opts for nurse practitioner instead of midwives

N.W.T.'s Beaufort Delta region is opting for a nurse practitioner to help meet its birthing needs, rather than four midwives.

The territory's original plan was to have two midwives in Hay River, four in the Beaufort Delta, and eight in Yellowknife.

The Department of Health and Social Services has a $964,000 budget to start a midwifery program in the Beaufort Delta this year, but birth rates are down, and a team of doctors and nurses already run a birthing program out of the Inuvik Hospital.

They would prefer a nurse practitioner who can have midwife-like duties to meet with people in the surrounding communities.

Glen Abernethy, minister of Health and Social Services, says some of the surplus money will be used for developing a territorial midwifery program in Yellowknife. 

"Given that we're changing the approach in the Beaufort Delta, what we're looking at doing is expediting the plan to move forward with midwifery services here in Yellowknife as a territorial program," he said.

"We figure with the that we money that we have left over from the Beaufort Delta, we'll have the money that we need to do the design, consultations and have a program ready for 2016/17."

The government's plans include eight midwives in Yellowknife who will provide support and teaching to health care workers in communities. 

The department also wants to use $400,000 of the leftover money to connect the N.W.T. with Alberta's organ and tissue donation registry.