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October 17th, 2025

To: Sylvia Weir CEO, Interior Health Josie Osborne, Minister of Health

We are writing in support of the Kamloops OBGYNs who have submitted their resignations. This decision reflects deep and ongoing concerns about maternity care, gynecology services, and women’s health in our region.

These physicians have long advocated for better access to care in Kamloops, yet despite years of engagement, their calls for change have been ignored. Their collective resignation is a last resort, a step no physician takes lightly, however, prompted by untenable and unsafe working conditions and the lack of meaningful response from the health authority and government.

We have also raised alarms about this looming maternity crisis, only to be similarly dismissed. The consequences are now materializing: the loss of Kamloops as a key mid-sized maternity hub will have real and immediate impacts on patients. Surgical wait times will grow as their patients still require surgery and will fall to other centres which are already at capacity, care for high-risk pregnancies will be disrupted, and existing providers - including those outside of Kamloops - will be stretched even further. When OBGYNs are undervalued, so too are women and their health across B.C.

The provincial OBGYN community is small and closely connected. We are alarmed by the short-sighted reliance on locum physicians as stopgaps and the unrealistic plan to recruit 12 new OBGYNs to a community where current staff have been unsupported and exposed to unsafe working conditions. There are serious concerns about who will supervise and support these new recruits - particularly if they are internationally trained - in an already strained environment. The use of these short term stop gaps rather than negotiating fairly with the current OBGYN group has not gone unnoticed.

We will not be participating in these temporary coverage plans or in the supervision of new hires under these conditions. We urge the health authority and the Ministry of Health to abandon this reactive approach, acknowledge the systemic failures that led us here, and work in good faith with the Kamloops OBGYNs to find a sustainable solution.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Elwood, B.M.ScH, M.Sc, MD,FRCSC

Vice President SOGBC

OBGYN BCWH

Dr Stephen Kaye MBBCh

Clinical Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of British Columbia.

Past President, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of BC.

 

Signatories - Supporting Specialist Physicians

1. Dr. Raelene Foisy MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Department Head, Vernon Jubilee Hospital

2. Dr. Joanna Baxter, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Department Head, Kelowna General Hospital

3. Dr. Ruth Vilayil MD FRCSC, OBGYN, Ridge Meadows Hospital

4. Dr. Samantha Wong-Merrick, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Victoria General Hospital

5. Dr Evelyn Eng, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

6. Dr. Rick Mentz, MBChB, FRCSC, OBGYN, Ridge Meadows Hospital

7. Dr. Anne Dobson *BA. BSc. MD. FRCSC.Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, OBGYN,Trail, BC

8. Dr. Robin Whitty, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Victoria General Hospital

9. Dr. Chantalle Brace, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

10. Dr. Lindsay Mourant, DO, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital

11. Dr. Nicholas Half, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Vernon Jubilee Hospital

12. Dr. Karen Meathrel, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

13. Dr. John Robertson, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Department Head, Chilliwack General Hospital

14. Dr. Julie Wood, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Burnaby Hospital

15. Dr. Paula Espino, PhD, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

16. Dr Kristi Kyle, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

17. Dr Shelley La Berge, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

18. Dr Stephen Macumber, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN

19. Dr. Julia Parkman, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

20. Dr. Natasha Simula, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Royal Columbian Hospital

21. Dr. Sara Dawn O’Dell, DO, FACOG, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital

22. Dr. Don Wilson, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN locum, Comox Valley Hospital, Campbell River Hospital, Squamish General Hospital, Richmond Hospital, Royal Inland Hospital, & Vernon Jubilee Hospital

23. Dr. Emily Ryan, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN locum, Victoria General Hospital

24. Dr. Sumathi McGregor, MD, FRCSC, FACOG, Kelowna General Hospital

25. Dr. Michelle Chan, MD, FRCSC, Burnaby General Hospital

26. D. Dawid Janse van Rensburg, FRCSC, Ksyen Regional Hospital Terrace.

27. Dr O Lampen. MD FRCSC, OBGYN, Ridge Meadows Hospital

28. Dr. Michael Suen, MD, FRCSC, Royal Columbian Hospital

29. Dr. T.B. Kate Collins, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

30. Dr. Cheryl Wilson,MD, FRCSC, OBGYN Peace Arch Hospital, White Rock

31. Dr. Yale Tang, MD, FRCSC, Surrey Memorial Hospital

32. Dr. Danielle D’Aleo, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kootenay Lake Hospital

33. Dr. Claudine Storness-Bliss, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Surrey Memorial Hospital

34. Dr. Sarah Saunders, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Whitehorse General Hospital, Yukon

35. Dr. Cynthia Ciezki, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Vernon

36. Dr. Tlell Brown Bentley, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Perinatal Co-lead, Comox Valley Hospital

37. Dr. Nina Maerkl, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Victoria General Hospital

38. Dr. Sophie Palmer, MD, FRCSC,OBGYN locum in British Columbia and MFM physician, University of Alberta

39. Dr. Dale Steele, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

40. Dr. Nicole Todd, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women's Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Children’s Hospital

41. Dr. Kirsten Bock, MD, FRCSC, Locum OBGYN Prince George Hospital

42. Dr. Valerie Rychel, MDCM, FRCSC, OBGYN, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver

43. Dr. Melissa Workman, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, St. Paul’s Hospital, BC Women’s Hospital

44. Dr. Chad Van Tongeren, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Comox Valley Hospital

45. Dr. Joëlle Dennie, ,MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Division Head, Victoria General Hospital

46. Dr. Sarah Coad, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, MFM, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre

47. Dr. Ian Ferguson, MD FRCSC OBGYN, Dept Head Maternity/Pediatrics KBRH Trail

48. Dr. Jagdeep Ubhi, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, RCH

49. Dr. Megan O’Neill, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Campbell River Hospital

50. Dr. Alana Geist, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Cowichan District Hospital

51. Dr Michele Lipp, MD, FRCSC, Lions Gate Hospital

52. Dr Mark Rosengarten MD, FRCSC, OBGYN BC Women’s Hospital

53. Dr. Debra Millar, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Children’s Hospital

54. Dr. Angel Shan, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Surrey Memorial Hospital

55. Dr. Amanda Ribeiro, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Surrey Memorial Hospital

56. Dr. Susan Sadeghi, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lions Gate Hospital

57. Dr. Kimberley Louie, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Surrey Memorial Hospital

58. Dr. Carolyn Donnelly, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lion’s Gate Hospital, North Vancouver 

59. Dr. Megan Thwaites, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George

60. Dr. Sarah Ravn, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lion’ s Gate Hospital, North Vancouver

61. Dr. Sarah Hodgson, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Victoria General Hospital

62. Dr. Ciaran Goojha, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lions Gate Hospital, North Vancouver

63. Dr. Susan Ngoc Thu Luong, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Richmond Hospital

64. Dr. Heather Armstrong, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Co-Department Head drRichmond Hospital

65. Dr. Lindsay Porteous, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

66. Dr Aaron Kennedy MD FRCSC OBGYN. COMOX BC

67. Dr. Monica Brunner MD FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women's Hospital

68. Dr. Ana Clara Sosa Cazales MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital

69. Dr. Nao Nakatsuka, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Royal Columbian Hospital

70. Dr. Julianne Kelly MD FRCSC OBGYN St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver

71. Dr. Jennifer Kenyon, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Abbotsford Regional Hospital 

72. Dr Laura Heslip FRCSC OBGYN Richmond Hospital BC

73. Dr. Allison Thiele, MD, PhD, FRCSC, OBGYN, MFM, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre

74. Dr. Mary Masotti, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

75. Dr Catherine Smith, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lions Gate Hospital

76. Dr. Carrie Wong MD FRCSC MSCP, Burnaby BC

77. Dr Corné Brink, FRCSC Cranbrook

78. Dr. Fariba Mohtashami, MD, FRCSC, GYN, Saint Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC

79. Dr. Geoff Johnson, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, North Island Hospital Campbell River

80. Dr. Sarah Fung, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Peace Arch Hospital, White Rock

81. Dr. Jill Kowalczyk, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Richmond Hospital

82. Dr Hanna Ezzat, MD FRCSC, BC Women’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital

83. Dr. Natasha Pascas, MD, FRCSC, University Hospital of Northern BC

84.Dr. Amber Burridge, MD, FRCSC, Kelowna General Hospital

85. Dr. Lindsay Benoit, OBGYN, MD, FRCSC, University Hospital of Northern British Columbia

86. Dr. Andrea Massey, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN University of British Columbia, St Paul’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital.

87. Dr. L. Rebeca Rivera, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, VCH Richmond Hospital

88. Dr. Julie Robertson, MD, FRSC, OBGYN, MFM, BC Women’s Hospital

89. Dr. James Hayward, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN and MFM,Victoria General Hospital

90. Dr. Marguerite Heyns, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Cowichan District Hospital

91. Dr. Pamela Calderon, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Lions Gate Hospital

92. Dr. Tarneer Johal, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, University Hospital of Northern BC

93. Dr. Erica Phelps, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital Hospital

94. Dr. Christopher Ng, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital Hospital

95. Dr. Violet Luo, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital Hospital

96. Dr. Vanessa Han, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Local Department Head Burnaby Hospital

97. Dr. Siddhartha Das, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital Hospital

98. Dr. Merry Gong, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Royal Columbian Hospital

99. Dr. Justin McGinnis, MD, FRCSC, Gynecologic Oncologist, Vancouver General Hospital

100. Dr. Jennifer Procyshen, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Vernon Jubilee Hospital

101. Dr. Angela Johnston, MD, FRCSC, locum OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

102. Dr Jennifer Yam, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, St Paul’s Hospital, BC Women’s Hospital, Vancouver

103. Kim Daniel, MD, FRCSC, Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

104. Dr Alannah Smith, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Olive Fertility Centre

105. Dr. Elisabet Catt MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Kelowna General Hospital

106. Dr. Katherine Rabicki, MD FRCSC, Locum OBGYN

107. Dr. Justin Mui, MD FRCSC, OBGYN Surrey Memorial Hospital

108. Dr. Karis Love, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Langley Memorial Hospital

109. Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Olive Fertility Centre

110. Dr. Areiyu Zhang, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Olive Fertility Centre

111. Dr. Rahana Harjee, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Olive Fertility Centre

112. Dr. Safiya Adam, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN; CMH Williams Lake

113. Dr. Agata Golosinski MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Vernon

114. Dr. Lauren Whitehead MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Vancouver

115. Dr. Kristy Cho MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Vancouver

116. Dr. Bonnie Woolnough MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Olive Fertility Centre

117. Dr Douglas Waterman, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN New Westminster, BC

118. Dr.Sheryl Mclaren, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN Nelson,BC

119. Dr. Jennifer Lajoie, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Nanaimo BC

120. Dr. Mina Wesa, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, New Westminster, BC

121. Dr Aude Beauchamp,MD,FRCP, OBGYN , New Westminster,BC

122. Dr Catherine Lu, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital

123. Dr. Erica Chhoa, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, Surrey Memorial Hospital

124. Dr. Jacqueline Purcell, MD, FRCSC, OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

125. Dr. Ulrike Dehaeck, MSc, MD, FRCSC OBGYN, BC Women’s Hospital

126. Dr Pretty Verma MD FRCSC, OBGYN Richmond Hospital

127. Dr Stephanie Rhone MD FRCSC, OBGYN BC Women’s Hospital

128. Dr Janet Lyons MD FRCSC, OBGYN BC Women’s Hospital