The statistics are terrifying: the number of newborns with a predisposition to drugs has increased by more than 40%. Neither the city nor the province has seen such number before.
The Manitoba Nurses Union president thinks that this all happens due to meth crisis in the city. More and more babies are born in women suffering from meth addiction. Perhaps, such women come to St. Boniface hospital because Health Sciences Centre does not want to deal with them.
The current situation requires improved funding since children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome need increased attention and treatment after birth. The workload in the neonatal intensive care unit also increases in the hospital. Every day the hospital faces a shortage of nurses.
Darlene Jackson, the president of MNU, also noted that the city authorities should increase the awareness of the inhabitants about taking drugs and pregnancy the same as about taking alcohol and pregnancy.
WRHA said that the additional funding decision for hiring nurses has already been announced. Very soon 30 new nurses and 11 extra beds for babies will appear in the hospital.
Currently, there are no statistics regarding the number of women who take meth during pregnancy but we can already see the statistics on babies born with such a potential problem in the future.
READ MORE:Newborns at risk: St. Boniface neonatal unit overwork