In a significant development for maternity care in British Columbia, seven obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops have resigned from in-hospital care. Inadequate government funding was a close fourth among the physicians’ concerns, followed by unsustainable workloads and staff shortages as the top issues. They announced their decision through a message to local community health care providers.
Danielle Goward, a Williams Lake resident, highlighted the need for action. She described being moved between four different hospitals over 12 days in order to bring her twins into the world this past May. She started her advocacy career in her hometown of Williams Lake. After that, she flew to Kelowna, from there to Prince George and eventually arrived in Kamloops after three separate flights total. This circumstance highlights the increasing adversity experienced by mothers-to-be in the area in wake of the continuing staffing emergency.
All seven of the specialists put their names on the resignation letter. It reveals in poetic form their heartfelt fears about the future of their community’s obstetrics. The physicians noted that it is “fairly unprecedented for an entire group of physicians to depart,” emphasizing the severity of the crisis. They said that they were hoping this new situation would encourage Interior Health and the provincial government to take action. In return, they desire short-term assistance to deal with women’s health issues in their community.
Dr. Mark Masterson, vice president of medicine for Interior Health, said he was disappointed to see the resignations. He acknowledged the pressing issue of maternity care in the province, stating, “We’re definitely seeing shortages of maternity providers throughout the province, and so it requires this full press work of getting in enough of the right providers and supporting them to be efficient and having the tools to do their work.” He mentioned that Interior Health has identified 12 potential candidates for OB/GYN positions at the hospital and is working to expedite the hiring of up to eight or nine specialists to stabilize services.
To address the growing crisis of OB/GYN shortage, Interior Health has done the opposite. They are attracting OB/GYNs from around the country to provide locum coverage by advertising a competitive daily rate of $7,100, plus overnight premiums for in-house coverage. This initiative is to make sure that these services stay open as longer-term staffing solutions are pursued.
Those seven OB/GYNs have already fully resigned. Though, they’ll remain on location for a minimum of 90 days in order to service their duties under contract. This ongoing transitional period is meant to provide continuity of care for patients while new hires are onboarded.
The letter from the physician group expressed hope that “the near total loss of low- and high-risk obstetrics in Kamloops will galvanize Interior Health and the province” to take necessary steps for supporting women’s health. They reiterated their commitment to patient safety throughout this process, stating, “We are committed to patient safety in this process as our number one priority.”
