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By Michael Reeve

'There is still uncertainty'

While celebrating progress, RIH admits work still needs to be done on maternity care in Kamloops

Dec 17, 2025 | 5:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — Interior Health (IH) officials updated the public about maternity care in Kamloops Wednesday (Dec. 17), noting two new obstetricians are set to begin work next May, with IH in the recruitment process with several others.

“We would love to get to 10 and we of course need retain as many as we have here plus recruit,” said Royal Inland Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Liz Parfitt. “We do have several more candidates in the pipeline as well, at various stages of interview and reference checks. We would like to get to 10 and I think over the next couple of years, we can.”

In addition to the new hire, IH is working to develop a new service model for Kamloops that involves community partners, although Parfitt admits the health authority is still working out who will eventually head up the effort.

“We are really working on looking at a more integrated model of care, where it’s not, sort of, pockets of people doing things with gaps in-between. We want to integrate that whole service,” said Parfitt, “and this is a really high priority for Interior Health to address the maternity care challenges.”

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“IH is very much leading some of the discussions, but a lot really successful maternity-based care models are more community based,” added Parfitt. “Currently, IH is really supporting those conversations and facilitating those conversations. But in the end, the governance might look a little bit different and it might be more community based.”

Previously, the local challenges were with high-risk pregnancies. That has now switched to low-risk.

“We have secured specialist OB-GYN coverage and it’s actually the lower risk provider group where there is a bit more uncertainty about the scheduling in the new future,” said Parfitt. “But again, we want to maintain services for our community.”

Maternity Matters Kamloops has held a pair of rallies, attempting to bring light to the issues at Royal Inland. The group will still be hold another rally on January 3 as organizers look for guarantees this crisis will never happen again.

“We still see a lack of some accountability for the powers that were in place as this erosion did take place,” said Katie Neustaeter with Maternity Matters Kamloops. “We haven’t heard anything from the ministry, nor has anyone else, as far as I know, at the Kamloops level. That is still a concern. We are encouraged by the direction that new leadership is taking both in Interior Health and the ministry — and yet there has been silence on this issue from the minister and certainly from the premier.”

“We want to hear that there are guarantees that this can’t happen again, that these kinds of critical services will not be ignored to the point of a dangerous situation. There is lots of work remaining, but we are hopeful because of what we have seen so far,” added Neustaeter.

While it’s welcome news for the community and Maternity Matters as a step in the right direction, maternity care at the hospital is not fully out of the woods.

“There is still uncertainty and potential instability, but it is such a high priority item that we are all working together on it and I am feeling hopeful about the future,” said Parfitt. 

Those in need of immediate care are still advised to attend their nearest hospital.