The maternity unit at White Rock’s Peace Arch Hospital will temporarily close its doors this week for yet another four-day stretch.

From Thursday, Feb. 19, at 8 a.m. until Monday, Feb. 23, at 8 a.m., expectant parents will be diverted to other care facilities.

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Thursday will mark the second such closure at Peace Arch Hospital this month, and the fourth this year.

Fraser Health says the diversions are due to an ongoing shortage of OBGYNs after “unexpected departures.”

The health authority has been warning of potential shortages at both Ridge Meadows and Peach Arch hospitals since early December 2025.

“If you are in labour or have a pregnancy concern, please call the Maternity Unit first. Our staff will direct you to the appropriate hospital for care,” said Fraser Health in a post to social media.

Its website says the health authority has recruited six OBGYNs to its hospitals in the region over the past year, and is working to recruit more and address service gaps.

“We are pleased to share that we have hired one physician at Peace Arch Hospital who is expected to join the team in Spring 2026.”

The health authority says the timing of future diversions is “dynamic” and may be announced on short notice in reaction to unexpected absences or doctors calling in sick.

Fraser Health says the region it serves is facing some of the same challenges as the rest of the province and Canada:

“Fewer local family physicians offering maternity care, a decline in midwives providing full antepartum–intrapartum–postpartum services, and the increasing complexity of maternity cases.”