Two Conservative MLAs have lambasted Interior Health (IH) after an announcement of gaps in maternity care in Kamloops.
On Wednesday, the health authority announced that they had been informed by the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics (TRFO) that new referrals were being closed.
A news release said the decision is meant to allow the physician group to dedicate available physician resources to critical 24-7 labor and delivery services at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH).
Patients who don’t have a maternity care provider were told to explore other options like the Healthy from the Start phone number and First Step Early Pregnancy Clinic.
“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.”
(1).png)
Although, expecting mothers without a regular primary care or maternal care provider will still be able to access labor and delivery services at RIH where they will be assessed, IH said that depending on staff availability, transportation to a different hospital for delivery may be possible.
Dr. Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Official Opposition Critic for Health, stressed the importance of regular prenatal checkups.
Kindy did not mince her words about IH and the TRFO’s suggestions for women without a regular care provider to go to the ER.
“It is negligent to tell women with no regular care to just show up at the ER if something goes wrong,” she said. “And for the women with high-risk pregnancies, who will be regularly checking up on them? This is an unjustifiable gap.”
She also questioned the health authority’s wording around “staffing availability.”
“Are they saying there is not always obstetrical backup at RIH? If so, the local population deserves to know that,” said Kindy.
In a statement on behalf of the BC Conservatives, Milobar and Kindy said care for mothers and children has become a “precarious” situation under the BC NDP government.
They pointed to the closure of the pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital and a warning about obstetrician shortages at the University Hospital of Northern BC.
Interior Health already issued a warning about potential staffing gaps at Royal Inland Hospital this summer.
Milobar, along with Kiel Giddens, MLA for Prince George–Mackenzie, and Rosalyn Bird, MLA for Prince George–Valemount, called out the "mind-boggling" closures and service gaps.
“Has our healthcare delivery in BC deteriorated to the point of having to transport an obstetrical emergency from a tertiary referral hospital?” Kindy said.
“In a developed country with universal healthcare, that should be an unacceptable risk.”
Milobar questioned what it would take for the TRFO to open to referrals again, adding that it appeared the service gap would continue on indefinitely.
He called the service gaps “completely unacceptable.”
“Expectant mothers seeking healthcare in our region have faced several years of volatility,” Milobar said.
“We call on Health Minister Josie Osborne to lay out a plan to permanently stabilize maternity care in Kamloops.”
