“Lost births,” service delivery, and human resources to health: Bringing maternal primary health care back to Canada’s North

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advocate for improved service delivery of maternal-newborn care in northern Indigenous communities. This is done through critical examination of the loss of pregnancy and birthing knowledge and practice in these communities, from both a historical and contemporary lens. Supporting the return of traditional midwifery practices to the communities is the recommended solution.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a general review of the available literature regarding Indigenous birthing practices, historical and contemporary Canadian maternal health service provision, and midwifery.

Findings

Current maternal health care practice in these northern communities is not resolving service delivery and human resource inadequacies, highlighting the need for a community-based and midwifery-driven primary health care approach. Potential recommendations include implementing a comprehensive birthing initiative, innovative midwifery training, and promotion and support of the role of the community midwife.

Originality/value

“Lost births” is a largely unrecognized issue in Canadian public health literature. The value of this paper lies in its potential to stimulate discourse and advocacy.

Citation

Cardinal, M.C. (2018), "“Lost births,” service delivery, and human resources to health: Bringing maternal primary health care back to Canada’s North", International Journal of Health Governance, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-12-2016-0057