Obstetric services
threatened,
societies warn
Two medical societies are concerned about the effect government cutbacks and increasing malpractice-insurance fees are having on the delivery of obstetric services in Canada. In a news release, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said the cost of insurance fees is reaching a point where the costs of providing obstetric services will become economically unfeasible for doctors.
If obstetricians leave their practices and medical students choose other fields, education and research programs will also be jeopardized, to the detriment of health care that is available for women. The societies urged ministers of health to explore the issue and examine possible solutions, such as provincial jurisdiction over physicians' insurance fees.
| CMAJ February 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 4) |