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Two and Out

PETERS: Now even basic prenatal care is under threat in Kamloops — and that’s a big concern

Feb 17, 2023 | 10:34 AM

WE’VE BECOME NUMB TO ALL THE BAD NEWS around medical care provided and not provided in Kamloops.

We shouldn’t be numb to the news from this week, though.

The Thompson Region Family Obstetrics clinic, located on the first floor of the Royal Inland Hospital Clinical Services Building, is on the verge of closing its doors.

The clinic is not taking any new patients whose due dates are after July 31.

It’s blaming a lack of physicians available to cover on-call services — and when it comes to delivering babies, you can’t exactly do without on-call services.

The clinic, Interior Health, the Ministry of Health and the Thompson Divisions of Family Practice are still working hard to recruit doctors, but the outlook is not positive.

If the operation does close its doors, the options for expectant parents are few.

There are still some obstetrical specialists in Kamloops, but they will be quickly oversubscribed — if they aren’t already.

Some patients will be lucky enough to have family physicians who are trained and comfortable providing obstetrical care and others will tolerate travel to communities like Salmon Arm or Vernon.

For those who don’t find care, what’s the option? The Royal Inland Hospital emergency department?

That has been a somewhat viable Band-Aid solution as a catch-all for patients dealing with the shortages elsewhere in the system.

But the ER is hardly a viable option for routine prenatal care.

Building a relationship with your obstetrician or specialist through a series of appointments throughout your pregnancy is a key component of a positive pregnancy experience.

Parents shouldn’t be reintroducing themselves and their unique issues every time they have an appointment — if they can even schedule one.

It’s very basic.

As we have seen in the past few years, though, even basic health care in Kamloops is not what it once was.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.