All seven obstetrician-gynecologists have resigned from in-hospital care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, citing unsafe workloads, staff shortages and a lack of government support, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.
The letter, signed by the seven specialists and addressed to community health care providers, said many years of these challenges have made the situation untenable. The specialists submitted their resignations to Interior Health, the local health authority, which accepted, the letter said.
“It is fairly unprecedented for an entire group of physicians to depart, but with the state of obstetrics in our community and with the upcoming loss of the [Thompson Region Family Obstetrics] group, we see no viable way forward,” said the letter, which is dated Oct. 11. The physician group referenced, which operates the busiest maternity clinic in Kamloops, announced last month it would close to new referrals because their doctors were needed to provide critical labour and delivery services at the hospital.
“Hopefully, the near total loss of low- and high-risk obstetrics in Kamloops will galvanize [Interior Health] and the province to support the health of women in our community the way they deserve.”
The mass resignations follow reporting by The Globe last month on the dire state of obstetrical care in the province. Persistent shortages of OB/GYNs and other maternity care providers have meant that some pregnant patients are being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to give birth, while practising OB/GYNs are routinely taking extra shifts to fill critical staffing gaps, increasing risks of burnout and to patient safety.
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The September Globe feature told the story of Danielle Goward, a Williams Lake woman who was shuffled through four hospitals in 12 days to deliver her twins in May. The transfer process from Williams Lake to Kelowna to Prince George and then Kamloops involved three flights for the flustered first-time mother, who called the experience “terrifying.”
Mark Masterson, vice president of medicine for Interior Health, said he was disappointed that the physicians said they did not feel supported, and by their resignations. The health authority has made operational changes in efforts to improve conditions, including expanding resources at the Women’s Health Clinic in Kamloops and supporting the Ministry of Health on “enhanced” contract offers for the OB/GYNs, he said.
Dr. Masterson said the health authority has identified 12 potential OB/GYN candidates for the hospital in the past few months, and is hoping to expedite the hiring of up to eight or nine to stabilize services. Locums and OB/GYNs from elsewhere in the province are also being offered $7,100 per day, with overnight premiums, to provide coverage.
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“We’re definitely seeing shortages of maternity providers throughout the province, and so it requires this full press work of getting in enough of the right providers and supporting them to be efficient and having the tools to do their work,” he said. “And we really do think we’ve engaged in a lot of that work, and we’re open to continuing that engagement.”
In the meantime, he said patients requiring obstetrical care are advised to still present to Royal Inland Hospital for assessment and triage. The seven OB/GYNs remain on site for now, as they must provide at least 90 days’ notice and there must be a phased transition.
If the hospital is unable to meet the needs of patients, they will be transferred to another hospital, Dr. Masterson said.
In their letter, the doctors say the logistical aspects of tapering patient care will be carefully co-ordinated, and that many of them will continue in-office outpatient gynecology work locally.
Notification of phased withdrawal of in-hospital care and more detailed individual office plans will be sent out, and each surgeon will contact patients on their wait lists regarding next steps for their management and care.
“We are committed to patient safety in this process as our number one priority,” the letter said.
