Waterville, N.B. - Pregnant women who live in a rural region of New Brunswick have, once again, been asked to make plans to give birth at hospitals up to two hours away, as their local hospital’s labour services are temporarily suspended due to a lack of surgeons and anesthesiologists.
The closure has become commonplace at the Upper River Valley Hospital over the last several years, as the hospital’s battled physician and nurse shortages.
The current suspension began April 9 and is scheduled to last until April 20.
“Even if a pregnant individual feels they are low-risk and do not require a C-section, they must still travel to the DECRH (in Fredericton) or ERH (in Edmundston) for labour and birth, as pregnancy-related issues and emergency situations can quickly arise during childbirth,” the English health authority, Horizon Health, stated in a notice to patients.
The regional hospital is in Waterville, N.B., about 120 kilometres from Fredericton and 156 kilometres from Edmundston – which are the two nearest hospitals with operating services.
Women speak out about uncertainty accessing care
Some women are speaking out about the closure, telling CTV News it should not be normalized and that something needs to be done.
Lisa Hardy has given birth four times and said she’s experienced uncertainty accessing the hospital’s services in the past.
“It is very stressful and honestly quite traumatic. That’s why this concerns me so much. Labour is already unpredictable, and having to factor in long travel distances, weather conditions, and possible accommodations adds a layer of risk that shouldn’t be there,” she said. “These should be precious moments, not a last-minute scramble of chaos.”
Another woman from Perth-Andover, N.B., had to find accommodations in Fredericton when she gave birth in 2022 and again in 2024.
She said she’s fed up.
“It is easy to see that we are being further and further centralized without any care for the amount of time labouring women will spend in an ambulance. Minutes, let alone hours, can be the difference between life and death,” said Sarah Farquhar-McAteer.
Horizon Health said it has “successfully recruited” five permanent physicians and 15 registered nurses to the hospital during the 2025 to 2026 year.
A long-term locum physician has been recruited for family medicine and obstetrics, and several candidates have expressed interest in filling a surgical position.
The provincial MLA for the area calls the situation a “bit scary.”
“You can’t always predict when a baby is going to arrive,” said opposition member Bill Hogan. “I think they’re trying. There’s a variety of different reasons for these short-term closures as of late.”
He said every time these services are suspended, he hears from constituents. The region has the highest number of unattached patients in the province, he said, which means people without a primary care provider.
The province’s department of health said in an emailed statement, that it understands the disruption is concerning for pregnant individuals and their loved ones.
“We have been working closely with Horizon to support its efforts to ensure sustainable maternity services at the hospital as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.
