June 6, 2016
Tahirah Noskiye, the first woman in about five years to give birth by Caesarean section at the Slave Lake Healthcare Centre, and her daughter Mikayla.
SLAVE LAKE — Expectant mothers in Slave Lake can once again have their babies in their own community with the return of full obstetric services at Slake Lake Healthcare Centre.
For the past five years, only a small number of low-risk deliveries took place in Slave Lake.
All obstetrics — including Caesarean sections, epidurals and inductions — returned in January this year thanks to the recruitment of a new doctor with obstetrics experience, and two doctors with anesthesia experience.
“We believe in the importance of obstetric services to the community and understand the desire for local mothers to deliver in their home community, close to friends and family, whenever it’s safe to do so,” says Dr. Keith Martin, Community Medical Director for Slave Lake.
The obstetrics team now includes Dr. Martin, Dr. Loai Hamdan, Dr. Cara Robertson and Dr. Chris Igboamalu, along with a team of nurses, many of whom took additional training to support the obstetrics program.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) physician resource planners worked closely with various community partners and organizations — including the Lesser Slave Lake Health Advisory Council, the Rural Physician Action Plan and independent community physician recruitment and retention committees, including the Slave Lake Regional Tri-Council committee — to bring doctors with the necessary skills and background to support low-risk obstetrics services in Slave Lake.
“The Slave Lake Region is very excited to see this much-needed service back up and running in our community,” says Tyler Warman, Mayor of Slave Lake. “We appreciate the hard work of AHS and its staff in making this a priority for our residents. This will make it much easier for expectant mothers to find the medical support they need so much closer to home.”
Those mothers include 24-year-old Tahirah Noskiye, who recently became the first women in about five years to give birth by Caesarean section at the Slave Lake Healthcare Centre. Her baby girl, Mikayla, was delivered on March 22, weighing 9 lbs. “The staff made me feel like I was safe and made me feel comfortable. I wasn’t worried,” she says.
Local mothers who require high-risk services, such as pediatric intensive care, will continue to receive care at larger, partner sites, such as the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
For media inquiries, contact:
Kirsten Goruk
AHS Communications
780-830-3537
