Thoughts on BC Politics and More

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 ...

IMAGE CREDIT:   Interior Health website   Kamloops-Centre MLA and Critic for Finance Peter Milobar and Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer are calling out the NDP government for leaving cardiac patients in the Thompson-Nicola region waiting decades for life-saving services — while local residents are forced to raise millions to fill the gap.   The ICCHA-WISH Fund and Kamloops residents have already raised over $2 million for Royal Inland Hospital (RIH), purchasing state-of-the-art equipment and attracting specialists. Yet critical cardiac services are delayed until 2040, forcing over 1,000 patients a year to endure hours-long transfers to Kelowna General Hospital — delays that can mean the difference between life and death. And now, with a recently departed cardiologist, Kamloops will have no cardiac care between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. “The NDP’s answer? ‘Schedule’ your heart attack at a hospital two hours away — as if medical emergencies run on their timetab...

PHOTO CREDIT:  Interior Health   “News that gaps in physician coverage could lead to reduced access to maternity care in Kamloops has been met with shock and disbelief across the city and the broader region. “Just last week, we learned that pregnant women in Prince George would be diverted to Kamloops due to reduced obstetric services throughout August. Now, with a potential service interruption in Kamloops, expectant mothers are left with even fewer options for care and support across northern and Interior BC. “These dual crises come on the heels of weeks of turmoil at Kelowna General Hospital, where the pediatric unit was closed for six weeks. They also follow the Official Opposition’s revelation that 141,961 British Columbians left emergency rooms in 2024–2025 without ever being seen. “The ongoing and expanding collapse of our health-care system rests squarely on the shoulders of Premier David Eby and Health Minister Josie Osborne. Poor planning, a failu...

Those with a long enough memory (you’ll likely have either grey, or no, hair) may remember that in the lead-up to the October 17 th 1991 provincial election, NDP leader Mike Harcourt promised THREE new cancer centres would be built in the province.   They would be in Kelowna, Prince George, and in Kamloops. Regarding the Kamloops Cancer Centre, a May 2013 th story in BC Political Reports notes the following timeline commitments:   ·         September 1991:  The NDP candidate in the Kamloops riding claims clinic has been delayed 15 months so the Socreds can announce its construction after the election is called. (As of the 1991 election there are two Kamloops ridings – North Thompson and South). ·         October 4: Kamloops NDP candidate Art Charbonneau says his party is committed to the cancer-clinic project   No sooner had Harcourt defeated the th...

... for the Kamloops cancer centre there have been two main points of contention: the fact that the centre will operate under two health authorities and in two buildings on the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) campus, and the lack of a PET-CT scanner. The latter issue again garnering conversation with a BC Cancer news release confirming four new PET-CT scanners for three of the four new BC Cancer Centres. “If the design of the Kamloops cancer centre was so top-notch, how come they are building Nanaimo to a different standard, how come they are building Burnaby to a different standard, how come they are building Surrey to a different standard at the exact same time they are building the Kamloops centre,” Kamloops-Centre MLA Peter Milobar questioned ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District says he plans to share concerns doctors have over the Kamloops cancer centre project with B.C.'s new minister of health to convince her the government should make the facility a one-stop shop. During a meeting Thursday, Mike O’Reilly said health professionals at Royal Inland Hospital have expressed to him concerns around the fact the new radiation department planned for the cancer centre will be governed by a separate authority than the current chemotherapy services already operating out of RIH. “There has been concern raised from local professionals as to how the radiation will be working in conjunction as to what we have already for cancer care,” O’Reilly, who is also city councillor, told Castanet Kamloops ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A B.C. doctor who was fired after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has lost her bid to get her hospital privileges back. The Hospital Appeal Board has found that Dr. Theresa Szezepaniak's refusal of the shot in 2021 amounted to neglect of her obligations as a hospitalist at Royal Inland Hospital, and the decision to take action on her privileges was appropriate ... CLICK HERE for the full story

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. Used with permission -- credit to CFJC Today WILL THE ANTI-ABORTION DEBATE return to a neighbourhood near us? A lot of people seem to be asking that question as the issue suddenly returns to the headlines south of the border, where several states have approved pro-life legislation aimed at turning back the clock. Using so-called “heartbeat bills,” they impose ridiculous penalties on those who participate in abortions after set time limits of a few weeks of pregnancy. And several other states are preparing to jump on the bandwagon. There was a time, 30 years ago, when the abortion debate raged in B.C. and in this community. Nobody wants to be “anti” something, so the anti-abortion advocates took on the name “Pro Life.” And nobody wants to be “pro” something like abortion, either, so the other side assumed the moniker “pro choice.” The actual meaning of “pro choice” is now part of the renewed debate, with pro-choicers saying...