Interior Health is providing an update to expectant patients of available primary care maternity services in Kamloops following a decision by the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics (TRFO) physician group to close to new referrals. This change will allow them to dedicate available physician resources to critical 24-7 labour and delivery services at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH).
We recognize the significant impact any change in maternity services can have on expectant individuals and families. Upon receiving the notice from TRFO, Interior Health (IH) started immediate actions to address the concerns raised and maintain access to services, which is a mutual goal of the TRFO physicians and IH.
Anyone in labour should go to Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) to be assessed. Emergency care for people in imminent labour or experiencing urgent complications will be available.
Patients who do not have a maternity care provider can explore the following options:
- If possible, we recommend patients reach out to their family doctor or nurse practitioner. We encourage patients to also connect with Healthy from the Start (1-855-868-7710) for additional support and information.
- If you do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, you can reach out to First Step Early Pregnancy Clinic, which provides antenatal care up to 30 weeks of pregnancy.
- Expectant parents without a regular primary care or maternal care provider will be able to access labour and delivery services at RIH. All patients will be assessed and depending on medical staff availability may be transported to alternate hospitals to deliver their babies. If out-of-community care is required, families will be informed, and transportation and accommodation support will be provided if needed. For information and assistance, please call 250-314-2635 to speak with RIH Labour and Delivery.
Interior Health acknowledges that the current situation may cause concern for the community, especially patients and families. We remain committed to providing timely updates as new information becomes available.
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