Seven Kamloops OB-GYNs resign in-hospital privileges from Interior Health, citing workload safety issues

Updated 5:02 p.m. — CFJC has reached out to the doctors who authored the letter for comment, and will update this story when we hear back. The Ministry of Health was also contacted, and directed our request for information on this matter to Interior Health, who says some of the contract logistics are out of their hands.

CEO Sylvia Weir says they’re trying to address concerns that were brought up by the physicians, and they’re also trying to fill these expected vacancies at the hospital.

“We don’t have any authority over their compensation, we don’t schedule them, and we don’t recruit. So they did come forward to the medical structure inside the hospital and ask for Interior Health to take over recruitment, and we’ve done that immediately. We are reaching out to locums and to people who have expressed interest in the past about coming to work at RIH, and there have been several of those obstetricians,” says Weir, “So we are getting on recruitment immediately and in the meantime we are working with the obstetricians around transition.”

Asked what kind of support the province is giving the health authority on this, Weir says they have been in touch with the Ministry of Health.

“They have been working hard with the obstetrician group to negotiate the contract that they would work under,” replied Weir, “So I would say absolutely they have been involved. And recognize the provincial pressures that this creates. It’s not that we can just import from another site. There are resources stretched from all over Canada for obstetricians. But yes, the Ministry absolutely are involved and looking to support us for the future.”

The letter goes on to explain that the physicians have resigned their gynecology surgical privileges as they are “tethered to provision of obstetrical care”. Their letter states that changes to patient care will be ‘carefully coordinated’, and many of the doctors will continue to provide outpatient gynecology work in the local area, though it doesn’t say exactly what that will look like.

Asked about maternity related surgical impacts, Weir clarified that C-sections and other maternity related surgeries will continue.

“There are different specialists that can undertake C-sections, there are family practitioners with an obstetrical specialism for example that can do that. But the obstetricians absolutely can do that, and will continue to do that,” explains Weir, “So from the perspective of the mothers out there who are anxious, the story is things are not changing right now. And as they transition, we will absolutely communicate. And I’m just sorry that we are where we are. But we do have a group of dedicated physicians at the hospital and in the community who will do their best to prioritize patient care along with the health authority and make this transition as easy as it can possibly be.”

The physicians add they will be working with Interior Health and the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons to make sure they are meeting professional requirements and notification of phased withdrawal of in-hospital care will be sent out. Patients on their surgical wait lists will be contacted directly to plan next steps for their health management and care.

There’s no specific date for when exactly the in-hospital changes will happen, but they’re not expected immediately. In the meantime, IH says the specialists have committed to maintaining patient services while the department is rebuilt.

The letter concludes with a comment about what the group feels is a lack of support for women’s health provincially, and expressed their devastation at the state of care in Kamloops.

by Dylana Kneeshaw

Seven Kamloops OB-GYNs resign in-hospital privileges from Interior Health, citing workload safety issues

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