The Mayor of Gander is waiting on a solid date for the resumption of delivery services at James Paton Memorial Hospital as the one-year anniversary of Minister Tom Osborne’s promise to maintain obstetrics in Gander fast approaches.

On Friday, NL Health Services provided an update on the reopening of obstetrics at James Paton, but with no solid date indicating when deliveries will resume.

Instead, the health authority provided an update on the transfer of existing pediatric and gynecology patients from one area of the hospital to another.

For the last few years women in labour have had to divert to Grand Falls-Windsor, a considerable distance for some in the James Paton catchment area.

The health authority says three of four obstetricians are in place in Gander, as are registered nurses and midwives, with orientation now underway for a recently-hired obstetrician—but no date has been announced except that they remain “committed to reopening early in the new year.”

Last week the Citizens Health Action Group which has been advocating for the reinstatement of obstetrics services at James Paton, posted to social media indicating that a demonstration is planned outside the hospital on February 23.

Mayor Percy Farwell understands the frustration.

“When you’ve got more than enough resources it appears to safely open the unit, just announce the date to reopen it.” He says if there’s an issue that needs to be addressed somewhere else around how to sustain services at both locations, “don’t continue to keep the place closed.”