A childbirth death at Northern Lights Regional Health Centre is being investigated by several entities. An internal review will be performed by the medical facility, and an investigation is also underway by Alberta Health Services to determine exactly what happened and if it was preventable. Kay Williamson ,the spokesperson for Alberta Health services, released a statement which said in part “Cases such as this are extremely rare, and particularly tragic. Our hearts go out to this family. We have talked to the family about the circumstances of this case, and will continue to be available to them to answer any questions or concerns they may have.” Maternal mortality does occur although it is not common and only happens in roughly 35 cases a year across the entire country.

Farzana Nasrin was the latest victim of childbirth death, and the 37 year old was already a mother to 2 children and was pregnant with her third. The baby survived and was taken to an Edmonton hospital for treatment. Bela Hossain, Nasrin’s husband and the father of their 3 children, gave some details of the case during a CBS News interview. According to Hossain his wife experienced severe and heavy bleeding during childbirth right before she passed away. Hemorrhaging is always a risk during pregnancy and childbirth. From 2009 through 2012 Fort McMurray had a very high birth rate yet the maternal mortality rate was very small. An online GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the family that Nasrin left behind, and several thousand dollars have been raised so far.