Labour, birth services at N.B. hospital ‘temporarily diverted’ due to nurse shortage - BERITAJA

Expectant mothers successful Miramichi, N.B., will person to recreation immoderate 2 hours distant if they are giving commencement complete the weekend

Labour and commencement services astatine the Miramichi Regional Hospital are being “temporarily diverted” because of a shortage of disposable nurses.

The diversion began Thursday and is expected to extremity Monday astatine 8 a.m.

Paula Doucet, president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, says the unit shortages are because nurses are being overworked.

“There has been tons of overtime, 16- to 24-hour shifts trying to make coverage, coming successful connected their days off, nary breaks, nary repast periods,” she said.

“The head has been doing their champion to support them, but they are truthful short-staffed.”

According to Horizon Health Network, the closest hospitals to Miramichi pinch labour services are successful Bathurst, Moncton, and Fredericton. While Bathurst is about an hour’s drive, the different options are about 2 hours away.

In a statement, Horizon Health Network says their first efforts to capable the shifts were unsuccessful but stay active.

“Patients who coming to the Miramichi Regional Hospital successful labour aliases pinch urgent obstetrical concerns will proceed to person appraisal and emergency attraction from staff, including obstetricians,” Horizon said successful a statement.

Health Minister John Dornan says the closure was unexpected and that emergency measures are successful spot for anyone who can’t make the thrust to those different hospitals.

“If personification has to present successful that hospital, successful that emergency room, past we person resources for those group successful an emergency situation,” he said.

Dornan adds that immoderate expectant mother 35 weeks aliases further on should make arrangements to beryllium adjacent to 1 of those different options, but location will beryllium nary compensation provided for immoderate travel-related expenses.

In April, the Upper River Valley Hospital successful Waterville, N.B., besides had a closure, and expectant parents were advised to recreation to the infirmary successful Fredericton aliases Edmundston.

A mates precocious made news successful the state aft their babe was delivered connected the sidewalk extracurricular the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital successful Fredericton past month, owed to the Upper River Valley Hospital closure.

“It’s thing that we don’t for illustration to see, anytime complete the past decade aliases so, and it drives america to springiness amended care,” Dornan said, erstwhile asked about that case.

Doucet called the script traumatizing.

“If you find yourself successful a business that you request urgent aesculapian attraction extracurricular of a facility, please telephone 911,” she said.