No baby deliveries in Gander until October

Pregnant women in the Gander area will have to go Grand Falls-Windsor to deliver their babies for a few more months because of a shortage ofobstetricians in the central Newfoundland region.

A diversion which began in February will continue until the end of October, according to a news release on Wednesday from Central Health.

The James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander has been unable to handle deliveries, off and on, for a few years.

• Baby deliveries in flux with doctor shortage

The health authority has tried to recruit doctors, and has encouraged family physicians to get training. It hopes that a plan to include midwives as part of an interdisciplinary team will help keep expectant moms closer to home.

A woman in labour who feels she cannot make the 100-kilometredrive from Gander to Grand Falls-Windsor is advised to go to the emergency department.

In February, the Registered Nurses' Union expressed concern about the issue, says its members also have to travel to get to their jobs.