A second wave of resignations has hit Interior Health under the leadership of new CEO Sylvia Wier, this time in Vernon, B.C., where four psychiatrists have stepped down.
BC Conservative MLA Kristina Loewen for Kelowna Centre says the resignations are part of a troubling trend across the region.
“First the pediatric ward in Kelowna, next the OB-GYNs in Kamloops, and now the psychiatrists in Vernon,” Loewen said, calling on the province to launch an independent review of Interior Health’s management and oversight.
That demand comes after the province already initiated a broader review of all health authorities earlier this year.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said the province is focused on supporting doctors and other health care professionals during a time of mounting pressure.
“We need to do everything we can to support every single physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, and allied health professional out there who is working their heart out,” Osborne said.
Concerns about staffing and safety within Interior Health have been escalating. Earlier this month, all seven obstetricians and gynecologists at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops resigned from the hospital’s maternity ward, citing what they described as unsafe working conditions and unsustainable workloads.
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Kamloops Conservative MLA Peter Milobar read a letter on behalf of OB-GYNs province-wide to the legislature.
“They’ve been prompted by untenable and unsafe working conditions, and a lack of meaningful response from the health authority and government,” Milobar said.
The letter, signed by 128 OB-GYNs from across British Columbia, urges Interior Health and the Ministry of Health to move away from what it calls a “reactive approach,” and instead acknowledge systemic failures and work with Kamloops physicians to find sustainable solutions.
The group also says it will not participate in temporary coverage plans or supervise new recruits under current conditions.
“We are alarmed by the short-sighted reliance on locum physicians as stopgaps and the unrealistic plan to recruit 12 new OB-GYNs to a community where current staff have been unsupported and exposed to unsafe working conditions,” reads the letter.
Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew called the situation deeply concerning.
“It’s really unfortunate when we’re seeing doctors and front-line medical professionals having to act in this way to get change,” Dew said. “But that’s what we’ve come to.”
Osborne said Interior Health is working to fill the gaps left behind by recent resignations, adding that the province remains committed to ensuring patients continue to have access to care.
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