Citizen groups highlight need for better access to midwifery services in Quebec

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(Annabelle Olivier/ Global News) — A number of citizen groups from around the province met in Montreal Saturday to discuss ways to make midwifery care more accessible in Quebec.

Midwifery has been legal in the province for 20 years, but access to services is lagging according to Lorraine Fontaine, a coordinator for Coalition pour la pratique sage-femme.

Lafontaine said the government has fallen short of its own objectives set back in 2010.

“The Quebec government — the ministry of health — had objectives of 10 per cent of women getting access to midwifery,” Lafontaine said, “but actually there is only four per cent now.”

For Lafontaine, it’s not about meeting government targets, but about filling a need.

“Of the 80,000 or more women that give birth, 20,000 would like access to midwifery and they don’t get it,” she said. (…)

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