The Honourable Chester Gillan, Minister of Health, today announced that 11.25 nursing positions have been added to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to help meet demand for high-risk delivery and aftercare of newborn babies.
Minister Gillan said, “Government has been working on this issue over recent weeks. Obstetrics and Pediatrics staff recognized that more nursing positions were required to address the rising number of Island babies needing special nursery care. These high-risk babies require nurses with special training and we have been working to meet that demand.”
QEH management and the NICU have been in discussions with government to expand the initial complement of nurses for the service. It has been demonstrated that the increased demand contributes to a heavy workload for existing nurses and increased overtime. A proposal was submitted to government to address the shortfall and today government has given approval for the increase in nursing staff.
Minister Gillan said, “We continue to make efforts to build capacity within our health system to improve access to services in the province. With this announcement, there will be less travel required for families experiencing high-risk pregnancies.”
When the NICU was established in 1997, the predicted number of babies in care was 18 per year, and a commitment was made to look after premature babies born as early as 32 weeks gestation.
The number of high-risk babies admitted to the NICU has risen to more than 60 per year, including babies born here and babies transferred back from the IWK in Halifax.