Royal Inland Hospital.

(ASHLEY LEGASSIC - REPORTER / iNFOnews.ca)

A maternity clinic at Royal Inland Hospital will start taking new referrals after it was previously expected to close.

The Thompson Region Family Obstetrics clinic at Royal Inland Hospital was slated to close on July 31 due to a shortage of doctors, but it's reached a deal with the province to keep its doors open.

"This clinic is a vital resource for new and expecting families in Kamloops and surrounding communities who require access to local maternity care," Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a news release issued today, June 9. "I want to applaud the efforts that allowed these services to resume."

The clinic, which is on the same floor as Interior Health's newly announced antenatal care clinic, delivers 600 to 700 babies per year. It supports patients from Kamloops and other communities across the Thompson and Nicola regions.

“We are optimistic that the supports put in place will allow for the permanent recruitment of family doctors who work in obstetrical care. The collaboration with the antenatal care clinic will ensure timely access to all maternity services in Kamloops," Dr. Shaun Davis of Thompson Region Family Obstetrics said in the news release.

The news release did not explain what Interior Health and the Ministry have agreed to in order to keep the clinic open, but it says they, with local maternity care providers, have "addressed concerns" related to the clinic's stability.

“We are committed to working with all partners to ensure this clinic is successful moving forward and to keeping patients at the heart of all these discussions," Interior Health CEO Susan Brown said in the release.

The clinic is on the first floor of the clinical services building at Royal Inland Hospital, where it's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with 24-hour on-call shifts.

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