Kelowna doctors share letter outlining ‘urgent concerns’ over maternity care

All nine members of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kelowna General Hospital have gotten behind a letter pleading for immediate action as a staff shortage begins to affect that hospital’s maternity ward.

The doctors say that unless health authorities and governments act immediately, patient and newborn safety is at risk.

“Due to a critical shortage of family physicians willing or able to provide this care—worsened by a failure to recruit replacements—our hospital is facing a collapse of its primary maternity care coverage as early as June 1, 2025,” the letter says.

“This means that many pregnant patients may arrive at the hospital in labour with no doctor available to provide safe, continuous care during delivery.”

The letter outlines how the lack of family physicians willing to deliver babies in low-risk situations is creating a back-breaking and dangerous workload for the specialized doctors who work on the ward.

“We are being asked to take on additional roles—specifically to act as primary maternity care providers in hospital for low-risk patients who do not already have such a care provider—on top of our existing high-risk consultative and surgical responsibilities,” it says.

“This is not a safe or sustainable solution.”

This letter points out that this is contrary to hospital policy, which says a second qualified health-care provider is required to assist during caesarean sections.

This all comes after the hospital temporarily closed its pediatric unit, to move more physicians to cover for anticipated shortages in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The doctors say they are calling on Interior Health and the BC Ministry of Health to actively recruit — and properly compensate — staff to maintain primary maternity care coverage. They are also asking for a safe contingency plan to make sure patients are treated by appropriately trained professionals.

— With files from Renee Bernard.