As of October 11, seven obstetrician-gynecologists at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, British Columbia have quit their hospital privileges. Their cited motivations for departure include severe burnout and an unmanageable workload. This work is incredibly draining and these pressures of their work directly affect their health. They frequently multiply task day in and day out, having a serious impact on their morale and job satisfaction.
The doctors resigning cited working as much as 80 hours per week, often doing two or more 24-hour call shifts in a row. This pipeline leads to 48 hour days with no sleep. This level of fatigue is incompatible with providing good care. They recently chose to retire early rather than risk the challenge of juggling simultaneous call and operative shifts. They’re struggling to recruit additional ob-gyns to the area to boot.
Impact on Local Healthcare
The mass resignation has dangerous implications for patient care in Kamloops. This has left pregnant people who are trying to get prenatal and maternity care without enough good options close to home. This trending emergency leads to concerns around equitable access to in-hospital care. In particular, it’s about maternity, including labor, delivery and c-section, at Royal Inland Hospital.
Health Minister Josie Osborne wanted to reassure people that we continue to safely care for expectant mothers.
“I want to assure pregnant people, families, the care is there for them at the hospital at their time of delivery or if they’re facing a high-risk delivery.” – Courtney Dickson
Even with all of these assurances in place, the resignation of the ob-gyns serves as a wake-up call for the abysmal lack of healthcare providers in the region. Interior Health has been actively recruiting additional ob-gyns and is in recruitment talks with “at least a dozen” people.
Challenges of Recruitment and Retention
Repeatedly, ob-gyns have painted a stark picture of being weighed down by the disproportionately obstetrical workload. Unfortunately, this shift has crowded out vital gynecological services. This unevenness can provide unique struggles in recruitment and retention. Possible candidates may be discouraged by the harsh and frequently untenable workplace climate.
Mark Masterson, Interior Health’s vice-president of medicine, noted that the health authority had offered the group a substantial 25 percent increase in compensation—up to $700,000 annually—but this proposal was ultimately rejected by the physicians.
“We need to recruit and retain ob-gyns, but we need to be focusing on the full spectrum of maternity care — that includes GPs,” said an unnamed source close to the discussions.
The Path Forward
The troubling state of affairs calls for a more collective approach to health, as many local and state health officials have pointed out. Dolson stated:
“We need to be focusing on midwives and maternity nurses and all of these different pieces of the system that work together to create a collaborative care model, because we know that collaborative care models are what support families best.” – Dolson
Minister Osborne reiterated the other commitment of providing supportive workplaces for all members of the health care team.
“We want safe, supportive workplaces for every kind of physician or health-care worker at Royal Inland and at hospital settings across British Columbia.” – Josie Osborne
