In October, seven OBGYNs at a Kamloops, B.C. hospital signed a letter of resignation. Those seven were the only OBGYNs in the city.

We’re used to bad headlines about Canada’s healthcare system. Lack of family doctors, emergency room wait times, delayed procedures, but this was different. Mass resignation threatening an entire branch of treatment for the whole city. 

The letter of resignation is effectively a protest, a warning. The physicians who signed it say their workload is untenable and is placing patients at risk. The resignations will be staggered over the coming months and the provincial government is taking a variety of steps to deal with the fallout. Including offering temporary replacement doctors over $7000 a day to take shifts in Kamloops. 

Kristen Holliday is the regional editor for Castanet News in Kamloops. She joins us today to unpack the mass resignation.

Host: Bruce Thorson

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor & Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Featured Guest: Kristen Holliday

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

More information:

• Plan for pediatrics at Kelowna General Hospital sent to ministry as doctor concerns get heard — Castanet
• Doctor shortage forces another closure of Kamloops' busiest maternity clinic — Castanet
• 7 OB/GYNs resign from Kamloops hospital due to safety concerns — Global News
• Interior Health willing to pay more than $7K per day to fill maternity shifts at Kamloops hospital — Castanet
• Too Many Canadians Are Leaving Emergency Rooms Untreated — MEI

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