From Warning Signs to Crisis: How We Got Here

Kamloops didn’t arrive at a maternity-care crisis overnight. The record shows a pattern of warnings, stopgaps, and missed opportunities that made today’s situation predictable—and preventable.

Timeline of Missed Opportunities

May 2022: Early signs of crisis

• May 18, 2022 — Patients transferred out of Kamloops: Staffing shortages at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) forced the temporary closure of the obstetrics and paediatric units. At least four patients, including a newborn and mother, were transferred by ambulance to Kelowna—167 km away—because there were no nurses available to staff the ward. Families described the move as “shocking” and a wake-up call about system fragility. Interior Health acknowledged “unforeseen” shortages tied to staff burnout (CBC News, 2022).

February 2023: TRFO raises alarm

• Feb 16, 2023 — Obstetrical clinic threatened with closure: Thompson Region Family Obstetrics (TRFO) warned it could not safely provide on-call coverage due to physician shortages. The clinic announced it would stop taking new patients with due dates after July 31, 2023. Physicians cited unsustainable workloads and the lack of backup, warning families might be forced to deliver outside Kamloops without urgent action (98.3 CIFM, 2023).

Spring 2024: A small step forward, not a fix

• Mar–Apr 2024 — First Steps expands: Interior Health and the province extended the First Steps Early Pregnancy Triage Clinic to 30 weeks and added six weeks of postpartum follow-up. Practitioners emphasize that First Steps was never meant to replace obstetric services. Its purpose was to relieve pressure points: easing ER congestion, reducing barriers to referrals, and ensuring timely early-pregnancy care. By those measures, it was a grassroots, community-driven success. The failure lies not with First Steps, but with Interior Health for treating it as sufficient instead of scaling it as one piece of a larger, team-based solution.

Summer 2025: Capacity strain becomes visible

• Jul 24, 2025 — Scheduling gaps at RIH: Local outlet CFJC Today reported two multi-day stretches with unfilled maternity physician shifts, citing burnout and recruitment shortfalls.

  
  

• Jul 31, 2025 — “All treated in Kamloops,” but…: Interior Health told media outlets that all maternity patients were managed locally despite coverage gaps, while acknowledging disruptions tied to staffing.

September 2025: A major front door closes

• Sep 1, 2025 — TRFO closes to new referrals: TRFO officially stopped accepting new maternity referrals, committing only to existing patients and on-call hospital coverage for six months. The group cited physician shortages, lack of specialist backup for high-risk cases, and unsustainable workloads and compensation.

  
  

• Sep 10, 2025 — Interior Health response: Interior Health posted “maternity options available” after TRFO’s decision; local news confirmed the closure aimed to preserve hospital coverage.

  
  

• Sep 14, 2025 — Political pressure rises: Opposition MLAs described the gap as “unacceptable” and pressed for consistent local services, as reported in provincial media.

Early October 2025: Assurances vs. reality

• Oct 5, 2025 — “No mothers moved,” but concern grows: An RIH administrator told local media that no one had yet delivered out of town, but admitted maternity remained the hospital’s top concern amid staffing shortages.

Mid-October 2025: The tipping point

• Oct 14–15, 2025 — Seven OB-GYNs resign hospital privileges: The entire OB-GYN group withdrew from in-hospital obstetrics, citing safety risks, unsustainable workloads, and years of failed recruitment. They committed to outpatient gynecology only. Their resignation signaled a near-total loss of obstetric services in Kamloops without urgent intervention. Interior Health told media outlets that C-sections would continue using remaining capacity while it sought locums and recruits.

What the Timeline Tells Us

1. Warnings were clear. From 2022 transfers out of Kamloops, to TRFO’s 2023 warning, to 2025’s unfilled shifts, the risks were publicly flagged years in advance.

   
   

2. Grassroots solutions worked. First Steps succeeded at its intended role, relieving ER strain and referral barriers. The missed opportunity was Interior Health’s failure to expand it into a comprehensive care model.

   
   

3. The collapse was preventable. Physician groups cited the same issues—workload, recruitment, lack of specialist backup—for years before services were withdrawn.

   
   

Accountability: What Must Happen Now

• Stabilize services immediately. Funded contracts, safe scheduling, and rapid locum relief to guarantee 24/7 labour, delivery, and surgical obstetrics at RIH.

  
  

• Scale up grassroots innovation. Programs like First Steps prove the value of community-led, collaborative care. Interior Health must build on these successes by integrating OB-GYNs, family physicians, midwives, nurses, doulas, and lactation support into a durable model.

  
  

• Be transparent. Publish monthly updates on recruitment, coverage, and mitigation measures—clear commitments the public can track.

  
  

Kamloops families cannot wait. The record shows this crisis was not sudden; it was forecast. The time for warnings has passed. Without urgent, accountable action, families will continue paying the price for a failure that could have been prevented.

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Sources

• CBC News. Staff shortage forces Kamloops hospital to move some patients to Kelowna. May 18, 2022.

• 98.3 CIFM. Kamloops obstetrical clinic threatened with closure due to lack of doctor coverage. Feb 16, 2023.

• CFJC Today. Coverage of July 2025 maternity physician scheduling gaps and Interior Health statements.

• Interior Health public statements on TRFO closure and maternity “options available,” September 2025.

• Provincial media coverage of political statements, September 2025.

• Local media reports of RIH administrator assurances, October 2025.

• Local media coverage of OB-GYN resignations, October 2025.