Midwifery gets final nod in Saskatchewan

Nearly 10 years after passing midwifery legislation, Saskatchewan took the final steps Monday to make it law.

The proclamation of the Midwife Act makes midwifery a provincially recognized, self-regulating and publicly funded profession.

Saskatoon midwife Debbie Mpofu,who was trained in the United Kingdom, said demand for the service is expected to rise, especially since pregnant women will not have to pay for it out of their own pocket anymore.

"The benefit for the mother is that she has a health-care professional who is educated and qualified, and who can offer her support in the home or in the hospital," Mpofu told CBC News.

The new law is expected to attract more midwives to the province, including former Saskatchewan midwives, Mpofu said.

"Without proclamation, without funding, why would a midwife come to Saskatchewan?" she said.

"Now that there is funding and there is proclamation, it means midwives can move from a province like B.C., Ontario, Manitoba, and come to Saskatchewan."

Thenew midwife program will begin first in Saskatoon and Regina, with plans to expand it to rural areas, she said.

Mpofu will work for theSaskatoon Health Region, where she will be part of the health-care team and receive a regular salary.

The midwifery act was passed in 1999 but not proclaimed. In February 2007, some sections were passed to allow the establishment of the Saskatchewan College of Midwives.