7 March 2025 – MRC du Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent

Relocation of Women Ready to Give Birth Becomes a Reality

(COURTESY TRANSLATION)

North Shore, March 6, 2025 – At the request of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Côte-Nord, a dozen women with high-risk pregnancies and likely to give birth in the near future will have to travel from the Lower North Shore, Minganie and Sept-Rivières to Baie-Comeau.

The issue, which was only hypothetical last week, was addressed to the Minister of Health by the mayor of Sept-lles, Denis Miousse, who raised the question of the inappropriateness of transporting pregnant women by road, given that there are functioning airports in the towns concerned.

Health Minister Christian Dubé, who is aware of the problem, expressed confidence that the situation would be resolved by the CISSS with the help of Santé Québec officials when questioned on Tuesday. Two days later, the problem remains. The CISSS, which has been aware of the situation since the beginning of the year, also knows that there will be other weeks in 2025 when the Sept-lles mother-child center will experience gynecologist shortages.

The Wardens of Minganie and Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Meggie Richard, Gladys Martin and Sept-Rivières Warden Denis Miousse understand the need to reduce the risk of complications during childbirth. However, moving women who are about to give birth on a 230 km road with no cellular network in some places is unacceptable.

This is why the wardens vehemently denounce this unacceptable situation and call on the Minister of Health, Mr. Christian Dubé, the Minister for the region, Ms. Kateri Champagne Jourdain, the President and CEO of Santé Québec, Ms. Geneviève Biron, and the acting CEO of Santé Québec, and the interim CEO of the CISSS de la Côte-Nord, Nathalie Castilloux, to remedy the situation as quickly as possible, and to ensure that gynecologists are available at all times at the Sept-lles mother and child center.

The wardens are demanding that, in the event of a breakdown in service, adequate air transport be provided for pregnant women cared for by the CISSS de la Côte-Nord.

The situation was unacceptable last week, and still is,” added Mr. Miousse.

Source :

Ophélie Babin, Conseillère en communication
Ville de Sept-Îles 418 962-2525 poste 2101