Midwives are about to be made part of the New Brunswick health-care system, the provincial government announced Wednesday.

Health Minister Mike Murphy said he will introduce legislation to regulate the profession.

Midwives help women in their pregnancies, including deliveries, often in their homes.

Murphy said there is evidence from other countries that midwives offer an effective alternative to hospital deliveries in normal pregnancies.

Kate Nicholl, a midwife in the Fredericton area, says it's about time the province recognized the work.

"In Ontario, for instance, seven per cent of births are cared for by midwives and in other countries, 60 to 70 per cent are managed by midwives," Nicholl said Wednesday. "We're delighted to make a start and delighted to hear that things will be in motion very soon."

Until now, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador were the only provinces that hadn't passed midwifery legislation.

The Progressive Conservative government in Nova Scotia introduced legislation in November to integrate midwives into its health-care system.

Murphy said that in the beginning, midwives will be assigned to hospitals, but eventually may be able to work in the homes of pregnant women. A committee will work out how midwives will be regulated and insured, the minister said.

The service is funded in most provinces where it has been regulated.