Hundreds rally in Kamloops calling for solutions to ongoing maternity crisis

Kamloops councillor Katie Neustaeter, who was one of the rally organizers, said they hope to voice their frustrations around maternity care in Kamloops, which the group says is at a breaking point.

“We’ve seen these gaps widening in maternity care in general,” Neustaeter said. “There is a lot of conversation around the clinics and the gaps that we’re seeing widen there. Short staffing, short funding, all of these things and the challenges of setting up some of the care that used to be fairly standard and normal — at least when I had my babies.”

“Those gaps have become increasingly known to the public.”

Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum/CFJC Today

Natasha Lyndon told CFJC Today that she wanted to show support for younger women who are of childbearing age, though that wasn’t her only reason.

“I didn’t want the need for gynaecologists for women of not childbearing age to be ignored,” Lyndon said. “For example, I talked to a woman who recently needed a hysterectomy and had to go to Salmon Arm because she couldn’t have it here.”

Another attendee, Patty Klohn, said women face a variety of medical issues at different stages of their lives.

“Obviously, there are the childbearing years and then you go on to pre-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal stages that may require the services of a gynaecologist,” Klohn added.

“We need to have those services in this city.”

Saturday’s rally was organized not long after word got out that all seven OB-GYN’s at RIH announced plans to resign. Those physicians said they’ve been forced to “ration care” and that their notice to resign was handed in after years of asking for help.

“Safety issues due to changing workload and inability to recruit have over many years pushed us to a point where, without sufficient [Interior Health] and provincial support, we are unable to continue with in-hospital care,” the OB-GYNs said in a letter of resignation.

Interior Health’s Vice-President of Medicine, Dr. Mark Masterson, told CFJC Today that while recruitment is underway, the health authority hopes that something can be done to avoid the mass exodus at RIH.

“The door is open, we’re keen to work with the gynecologist obstetricians who currently reside in Kamloops, and are still looking at recruitment options and how we’d support a transition that ensures care is ongoing for patients in the Kamloops region,” he said, noting Interior Health is also willing to explore different practice models to address the issues.

Describing itself as a grassroots collective comprised of local advocates, birth workers, parents, and community builders, Maternity Matters Kamloops says it is “concerned and outraged by the dangerous inaction of Interior Health and the Ministry of Health in addressing the dire state of maternity care in Kamloops.”

“We’re moving back in time. This is certainly a gender equity issue,” Neustaeter previously told CFJC Today.

“Every mother should be guaranteed care. Every newborn should be born into a safe situation within B.C. and certainly between Kamloops. People shouldn’t have to rally for the base level of care that we expect and that we pay our taxes for in this province.”

The group has six calls for action that it hopes to see addressed including a stabilization of staffing levels, 24/7 access to safe, local labour and delivery at Royal Inland Hospital, the rebuilding of collaborative team-based care and accountability for people in charge.

“Maternal care is not a women’s health issue. It is an issue of humanity and all people should be invested in this, and they should be furious that once again the Interior has gotten the short end of the stick — and this time, it is dangerous,” Neustaeter added.

While Bootle told CFJC she is “lucky” that she has a midwife to care for her, she noted the situation is both stressful and emotional.

“As Canadians, I think we’re used to the idea that our public health system is there for us and that we contribute and we’re going to be supported,” Bootle said. “I think the emotional part is that the community is showing up whether or not the administrators are.”

“I support the OBs in doing what they’re doing to draw attention to the issue,” Bootle added.

“Even though I’m eight months pregnant and I hope the support is there when I need it, if this is what needs to happen and we need to take a step back to take a couple steps forward, that’s what we’ll have to do.”

Neustaeter added she is grateful for every person who turned out at Saturday’s rally.

“My hope is that we won’t have to do this again but there is a piece of me that wonders,” she said.

Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum/CFJC Today

by Victor Kaisar & Curtis Goodrum

Hundreds rally in Kamloops calling for solutions to ongoing maternity crisis

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