Maternity care service gap in Kamloops is unacceptable

The Thompson Region Family Obstetrics physician group in Kamloops is no longer accepting new referrals because their doctors must instead staff the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) labour and delivery ward.

Yesterday, Interior Health advised expectant mothers to turn to their family doctors for maternity care, or contact the First Steps Early Pregnancy Clinic, which only provides antenatal care up to 30 weeks of pregnancy.

“Forty percent of Kamloops residents don't have a family doctor,” said Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar. 

“Even if a woman with no primary care provider is accepted at the First Steps Clinic, she will still be on her own after 30 weeks.”

"Pregnant women require frequent referrals for ultrasounds, bloodwork, and tests. At regular prenatal checkups, women have their baby's heartbeat monitored, they have swabs done, and they discuss concerns they have,” said Dr. Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Official Opposition Critic for Health. 

“These regular prenatal appointments help catch possible issues earlier and avoid complications. It is negligent to tell women with no regular care to just show up at the ER if something goes wrong. And for the women with high-risk pregnancies, who will be regularly checking up on them? This is an unjustifiable gap.”

The September 10 notice from Interior Health states that pregnant women who present at RIH will be assessed and “depending on medical staff availability may be transported to alternate hospitals to deliver their babies.”

“The notice provided by the health authority is very opaque. Are they saying there is not always obstetrical backup at RIH? If so, the local population deserves to know that,” said Kindy.

“The vast majority of deliveries go well. But cases of fetal distress or severe bleeding are obstetrical emergencies. Has our healthcare delivery in B.C. deteriorated to the point of having to transport an obstetrical emergency from a tertiary referral hospital? In a developed country with universal healthcare, that should be an unacceptable risk.”

Care for mothers and children has become precarious under David Eby’s NDP government. This past spring, Kelowna General Hospital temporarily closed their pediatric unit, and over the summer the University Hospital of Northern B.C. was warning patients of obstetrician shortages.

“When will Thompson Region Family Obstetrics open referrals again, and what needs to be in place for that to happen? As it stands, this is a service gap that will continue on indefinitely – and that is completely unacceptable,” said Milobar.

“Expectant mothers seeking healthcare in our region have faced several years of volatility. We call on Health Minister Josie Osborne to lay out a plan to permanently stabilize maternity care in Kamloops.”