As is the case for other professionals in the health network, midwives must negotiate their working conditions every three to five years. Since the legalization of the profession, these negotiations carried out without real consideration of what is experienced in the field have accentuated the inequities, leading to the crisis in midwifery services that is currently raging: difficult study conditions, attraction and retention an even more complex workforce than in similar fields and the development of midwifery services has slowed down due to the lack of available midwives.
The situation is critical for a large majority of services which are struggling to deploy full teams to meet the demand of women, pregnant people and families. For real recognition to take place, we are asking the Treasury Board to stop systemic discrimination against midwives and to offer them financial compensation that reflects their importance and their great availability.
Available 24 hours a day
The ongoing negotiations should put an end to the salary inequities that persist for midwives. They are available 24 hours a day during various periods and spread over several consecutive days. In summary, they have atypical, unpredictable and unfavorable schedules which are not adequately compensated. However, it is this great availability that allows the construction of a relationship of trust, and which allows to offer relational continuity to the women who are followed.
Women, pregnant people and their families who testify to their midwifery follow-up are unanimous: the availability, authenticity and uniqueness of midwifery practice are extremely valuable. These testimonials are touching, because they tell stories of trust, great availability at any time of the day or night over long periods, physical, emotional and psychological support during pregnancy, the possibility of giving birth to a child in different places of birth at the choice of the family and unparalleled support in postpartum or for breastfeeding.
These services meet specific and essential needs that have been requested by families across Quebec for over 40 years. Yet midwives are not yet fairly compensated.
Better access to care
A few days ago, an article published in the scientific journal The Lancet questioned the lack of recognition of the midwifery model of care and described how it could respond to the crisis surrounding maternal care. What is clearly stated, and what the Regroupement Les sages- femmes du Québec continues to proclaim loud and clear, is that as a predominantly female profession, midwives continue to be marginalized, exhausted, insufficiently paid and still too little recognized. Faced with the lack of decision-making power granted to them, it is imperative that the government recognize their undeniable contribution to the health network and more particularly to perinatal care for women and pregnant people.
For several decades now, communities have been mobilizing to demand the establishment of support services by midwives and are trying to reclaim births. To succeed in deploying such services, the government must finally dare. Because the accompaniment of a midwife changes everything in childbirth, because such follow-up reduces the cost of care and services for mothers and babies and because it is time we grants them financial recognition for their availability. Providing improved practice conditions would ensure the necessary succession to maintain this model specific to Quebec and so appreciated by families!
While service disruptions are announced in obstetrics services for the summer season, Quebec families join their voices to those of midwives: we demand that the government dare to recognize the contribution of midwives to the Quebec!