ST. PAUL - St. Paul’s chief of staff and community medical director is hoping to allay public concerns that have arisen regarding obstetric services in the region over news that Bonnyville Health Centre is losing a member of its team next month.
“A lot of misinformation has gone around with women who are worried about what happens when obstetrics slows down in Bonnyville,” Dr. Francis Adebayo told Lakeland This Week on May 8.
“This is to inform the community that we are now able to offer 24/7 caesarean section deliveries at the St. Therese Hospital as a result of the successful recruitment of Dr. Abdulsalam to St. Paul. The services we are providing include managing our normal maternity deliveries as well.”
Abdulsalam is a family physician with obstetric surgical skills who relocated from
South Africa last year.
The Bonnyville Health Centre announced recently that it would be slowing down on obstetrical deliveries in June 2020, and patients will be referred to St. Paul and Cold Lake at 32 weeks’ gestation for delivery.
“I want to reassure the women who are referred back to St. Paul from Bonnyville that they will be taken care of by the obstetric team here,” Adebayo said.
“At present, we have doctors Akindele and Abdulsalam providing caesarean section coverage 24/7 as well as normal deliveries and they will be assisted by other physicians and nurses in providing obstetric care.”
Abdulsalam will be moving his practice to the St. Paul Wellness Centre June 1. He is currently practising at the Living Hope Medical clinic, according to Adebayo.
