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By Dylana Kneeshaw

MATERNITY CARE UPDATE

IH cites more antenatal appointment availability in Kamloops, interviews for more OB-GYNs

Nov 28, 2025 | 5:23 PM

KAMLOOPS — Ahead of another Maternity Matters rally this Saturday (Nov. 29) outside of Royal Inland Hospital, Interior Health says it’s in agreement with the reason people are rallying — the need to bolster women’s healthcare supports after massive upheaval in the hospital’s OB-GYN department.

Staffing shortages, workload strain and burnout were all cited by the seven OB-GYNs who resigned their in-hospital privileges back in October.

Asked for an update on how negotiations with existing doctors are going, along with efforts to bring in more physicians to that department, Interior Health’s vice president of medicine, Dr. Mark Masterson, says the health authority doesn’t have a specific date for when staffing will stabilize, but IH is hoping the inroads it has made will bring results.

The health authority was recently able to expand the amount of antenatal appointments offered through the North Shore Primary Care Centre for up to 16 additional appointments per week at that location.

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“Some of the detailed work has been with the Early Pregnancy Access to Care and Triage Clinic in town and the collaboration there has let us open extra spots for antenatal care — and that’s the EPACT clinic in town,” he explains. “We’re continuing to work on recruitment of obstetrician-gynecologists. We have eight interested candidates who we have been in contact with, five of whom have already been interviewed.”

Timeline wise, Masterson says recruitment isn’t a fast process and is heavily dependent on candidates making their own decisions, so IH can’t say with finality when the hospital’s OB-GYN department staffing fluctuations will be stabilized.

“(We) absolutely share the goal that we want to build toward having that sustainable service. We do know that there are obstetricians in the community who are committed to Kamloops and the area and they’ve committed to providing on-call coverage and we really respect that and appreciate that effort that they’re putting in,” says Masterson. “But there’s a lot of work to get to the point where we have a sustainable program ensuring that there isn’t the uncertainty and that there’s a lot fewer of these disruptions for patients. (I) really respect [demonstrators are] asking for that, which they should be.”

Urgent obstetrical or gynecological care is still available at Royal Inland Hospital, and so far, Interior Health says no maternity patients have been transferred elsewhere because of short-staffing in Kamloops.