Over 100 obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs) from across British Columbia have signed a letter addressed to the health minister and CEO of Interior Health warning of ongoing concerns about maternity care, gynecology services, and women’s health in the region.
The letter, which includes a total of 128 signatures, comes almost two weeks after the entire group of seven obstetrician gynecologists at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) handed in their resignation.
The group of doctors said they hoped their resignation would “galvanize” IH and the province to better support women’s health.
Another letter from those seven Kamloops doctors said they were facing up to 80-hour work weeks, “moral injury” and dismissed calls for help.
This latest letter, which is dated Oct. 17 but was just made public on Monday, says all 128 doctors support the Kamloops OB-GYNs and their resignation.
“These physicians have long advocated for better access to care in Kamloops, yet despite years of engagement, their calls for change have been ignored,” the letter said.
“Their collective resignation is a last resort, a step no physician takes lightly, however, prompted by untenable and unsafe working conditions and the lack of meaningful response from the health authority and government.”
The 128 doctors said they have also raised alarms about the “looming maternity crisis” but claim they have also been dismissed.
“This isn’t just about Kamloops, it’s about every woman in B.C. who deserves safe, local, reliable care,” said BC Conservative MLA and health critic Dr. Anna Kindy in a separate statement.
“We’re seeing a domino effect of healthcare services collapsing, and a government pretending it’s fine. It’s not fine. Burnout, staff shortages, unsustainable workloads, and bureaucratic mismanagement are pushing OB-GYNs to the brink.”
Although the seven Kamloops doctors will not be leaving all at once and their resignation will be done in a phased manner, the large group of doctors is warning that the loss of Kamloops as a key mid-size maternity hub will have real and immediate impacts on patients.
The letter warns of longer surgical wait times, disrupted care for high-risk pregnancies and existing providers being stretched further with their work loads,
“When OB-GYNs are undervalued, so too are women and their health across BC,” the letter said.
The letter chastised the province and IH’s “unrealistic plan” to rely on locum physicians and recruit 12 new OB-GYNs to Kamloops, “a community where current staff have been unsupported and exposed to unsafe working conditions.”
In a statement to the media, the minister of health confirmed that IH identified a dozen potential candidates to replace the departing physicians at RIH.
“There are serious concerns about who will supervise and support these new recruits - particularly if they are internationally trained - in an already strained environment,” the letter stated.
“The use of these short term stop gaps rather than negotiating fairly with the current OBGYN group has not gone unnoticed.”
All 128 doctors who signed the letter said they will not be participating in IH’s temporary coverage plans or in the supervision of new hires under the current conditions.
Instead, the large group of OB-GYNs is encouraging IH and the ministry of health to drop their “reactive” approach and instead acknowledge “system failures” and work with the Kamloops OB-GYNs to find a sustainable solution to the problem.
The letter is signed by doctors across the BC Interior, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
