Midwifery Act Effective March 18

Mothers-to-be in Nova Scotia will have access to publicly-funded midwifery services as the province begins the integration of midwives to primary maternity care teams.

The Midwifery Act comes into effect Wednesday, March 18.

"We are moving towards teams of health-care professionals working together to provide care to Nova Scotians in their communities," said Health Minister Karen Casey. "Midwives are key team players in providing the right care to mothers and their families."

The integration process will begin with three model sites -- Guysborough Antigonish Strait District Health Authority, South Shore District Health Authority and the IWK Health Centre.

There are seven full-time equivalent positions that will be funded. Two full-time positions each have been assigned to South Shore and Guysborough Antigonish Strait district health authorities and two full-time and two part-time positions will be at the IWK. Each model site has started putting their program in place, including recruiting midwives to join their maternity care teams. Each model may look different depending on the needs of the community. This initiative will directly contribute to government's priority of providing Nova Scotians with healthier, safer communities.

"There has been excellent collaboration with existing teams in the three model sites to determine how midwives will be working there," said Maren Dietze, president of the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives. "Regulating midwifery will ensure safe, high-quality midwifery care. Regulation will protect the public. We have been working towards this for a long time."

The Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia has been established. This council is comprised of three midwives recommended by the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives, a registered nurse recommended by the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, a physician recommended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia and three public members, and the registrar.

Midwives are members of collaborative practice teams. In 2008-09, the Department of Health invested $3.9 million in interdisciplinary teams, which in addition to midwives includes nurse practitioners, family practice nurses, dieticians, social workers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, within primary health care.

It is anticipated that each full-time midwife will attend to the care of about 40 women each year. In 2007 there were 9,104 births in Nova Scotia.