Ontario has announced more funding for midwifery care in the province.
The Conservative government said it is spending $8.27 million to expand midwifery services for thousands of families in their own communities.
Ontario said this includes $4.82 million to expand midwifery services in community health centres, hospitals, family health teams and existing midwifery practices.
Added to that is $3.45 million to support future initiatives put forward by health care providers to expand midwifery services in their communities, said a news release from the Ministry of Health.
Midwives are health care professionals who provide government-funded primary care to pregnant people and their newborns.
Midwives provide expert care through pregnancy, labour, birth and for several weeks following the birth of a child, said a statement from the Ontario Association of Midwives.
Also, the ministry said health care providers can submit proposals to receive funding to expand access to midwifery service in hospitals or through primary health, team-based comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care.
Along with the $3.45 million that is available, the province is including $1.45 million for the province’s Indigenous Midwifery Program, which includes Indigenous midwives working within interprofessional primary health care teams to expand Indigenous-led midwifery services in urban, rural, northern and on-reserve Indigenous communities.
