Five Neurologists Resign From Interior Health Amid Dispute Over Expanded On-Call Duties

Lucas Tremblay

10/23/20265 min read

Interior Health is facing renewed concerns over physician retention after five neurologists submitted resignations from their hospital roles, citing disagreements over expanded on-call responsibilities and a lack of meaningful consultation with medical professionals.

The resignations come after the health authority introduced changes requiring neurologists to provide on-call coverage across the entire Interior Health region, rather than focusing primarily on the communities where they practise.

According to Doctors of BC president Dr. Adam Thompson, the decision has placed additional pressure on specialists who were already managing demanding workloads.

"The tipping point came last month when all neurologists in the area were told that they would have to provide on-call neurological services to the entire health authority region, rather than just their own community," Thompson said.

He added that physicians had previously warned the health authority that the proposed arrangement was not sustainable.

The departures include three neurologists associated with Penticton Regional Hospital, along with resignations involving neurologists in Vernon and Kamloops.

The situation has renewed questions about how health authorities respond to staffing shortages, manage specialized services and involve physicians in decisions affecting patient care.

Expanded Regional Coverage Raises Workload Concerns

Under the revised on-call arrangement, neurologists were expected to provide consultations to medical teams across a substantially larger geographic area.

Much of that support would be delivered remotely, including through telephone and internet-based consultations.

While regional coverage can help connect patients in smaller communities with specialized medical expertise, physicians involved in the dispute have expressed concerns about the feasibility of expanding their responsibilities without adequate resources.

Thompson said the new expectations could significantly increase the number of patients and health-care facilities relying on individual specialists during on-call shifts.

Neurology services are particularly important for patients experiencing conditions involving the brain, spinal cord and nervous system, including seizures, neurological complications and other serious medical emergencies.

Access to timely specialist advice can be essential for physicians treating patients in emergency departments and hospital wards.

However, expanding remote coverage can also create operational challenges when neurologists must manage consultations from multiple hospitals while maintaining responsibilities to their local patients.

Dr. Niall Davidson, one of the neurologists who submitted his resignation, previously raised concerns about the changes and the process through which they were introduced.

Davidson, who has provided hospital neurological services in Penticton for approximately two decades, said the expanded coverage expectations would require individual physicians to support a much larger network of emergency departments.

His resignation from hospital privileges does not mean he is leaving the medical profession or closing his community practice.

The distinction is significant because patients may continue to have access to outpatient neurological care even as hospitals lose the ability to obtain local bedside consultations from those specialists.

Latest Departures Follow Earlier Specialist Resignations

The neurological staffing dispute is not the first instance of physicians leaving hospital roles within the Interior Health system.

In October 2025, seven obstetricians and gynecologists at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops resigned amid concerns about increasing workloads and the sustainability of their working conditions.

During the same month, four psychiatrists departed Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Although Interior Health described the psychiatric departures as unrelated, the situation prompted broader discussions about physician workloads, staffing pressures and the resources available to specialized medical teams.

Kelowna General Hospital has also experienced significant challenges involving pediatric services.

Between 2023 and 2025, seven pediatricians resigned from the hospital, contributing to concerns about staffing stability and the continued availability of specialized care.

An independent review released earlier this year identified deteriorating relationships between some physicians and Interior Health leadership.

The report described an environment characterized by "reduced trust" and "deteriorating working relations."

While the circumstances surrounding each departure differ, the recurring disputes have highlighted concerns about workplace relationships, physician involvement in administrative decisions and the long-term sustainability of hospital services.

Doctors of BC Calls for Greater Physician Involvement

Thompson said the neurologists' resignations reflect a larger problem involving communication between health authority leadership and the medical professionals responsible for delivering care.

He argued that frontline physicians must have meaningful opportunities to contribute to decisions affecting clinical operations.

"I think the main problem is that there has not been reasonable respect in listening to the physicians who have some of their own solutions in this," Thompson said.

He emphasized that physicians working directly with patients are well positioned to identify practical challenges and suggest alternative approaches to organizing services.

Doctors of BC has called on Interior Health to work with the affected neurologists to develop a sustainable model for regional coverage.

In an October 21 statement, the organization expressed concern about instability in neurological services and the potential consequences for patients needing timely specialist care.

It warned that losing local specialists could increase pressure on remaining physicians and potentially require patients to travel longer distances for treatment.

The organization has urged the health authority to establish a clear workforce plan, involve physicians in service-delivery decisions and strengthen both immediate and long-term recruitment and retention efforts.

Thompson also stressed that resolving these challenges should not involve eliminating administrative support.

He acknowledged the importance of health-care administrators in coordinating services and maintaining effective systems but called for a more collaborative relationship between management and physicians.

Potential Consequences for Patients Across the Interior

The loss of neurologists from hospital on-call schedules could have implications for patients requiring specialized neurological assessments, particularly in communities where access to specialists is already limited.

At Penticton Regional Hospital, the three neurologists who resigned had provided local bedside consultation services.

Their departures could mean that some hospitalized patients requiring direct specialist examinations may need to be transferred to larger medical centres.

This could add pressure to other hospitals while creating additional travel challenges for patients and their families.

The physicians' concerns centre not only on the availability of remote specialist advice but also on the importance of in-person neurological assessments when medically necessary.

However, Interior Health has emphasized that emergency services and established neurological consultation pathways remain available.

The health authority says patients should continue seeking medical attention whenever neurological symptoms or other urgent health concerns arise.

Interior Health Says It Remains Committed to Collaboration

Dr. Kirstie McLelland, executive medical director of clinical operations for Interior Health South, said the health authority remained committed to maintaining neurological services and working with physicians.

Detailed public responses have been limited because of communication restrictions applying to health authorities during British Columbia's provincial election period.

Under those restrictions, health authority communications have largely been confined to critical health and public safety information.

In a statement, McLelland emphasized that Interior Health would continue working with neurologists to meet its obligations under established medical staff rules and bylaws.

She also reassured patients that they should not hesitate to seek neurological care when required.

Interior Health has stated that urgent neurological consultations remain accessible through regional service arrangements and that around-the-clock stroke care continues to be available.

The health authority has not publicly outlined a comprehensive resolution to the staffing dispute or confirmed how all affected hospital services will be maintained following the resignations.

Staffing Stability Remains a Major Challenge

The latest departures have renewed attention on the balance between expanding access to specialized health services and maintaining reasonable workloads for the physicians delivering them.

Health authorities serving geographically dispersed populations face the challenge of providing equitable access to medical expertise across communities with different staffing levels and patient needs.

Regional consultation systems can help address those gaps, but their effectiveness depends on having enough qualified specialists to support the additional responsibilities.

For Doctors of BC, the immediate priority is finding a workable arrangement that maintains patient access while addressing concerns raised by neurologists.

The organization maintains that sustainable solutions require more than recruitment efforts alone. It argues that retaining existing physicians and rebuilding trust between medical staff and administrators are equally important.

With five neurologists leaving their hospital roles and other specialties having experienced similar staffing disputes, the situation presents another challenge for Interior Health as it works to maintain specialized services across the region.

The longer-term implications will depend on whether the health authority and physicians can agree on a regional coverage model that meets patient needs without placing unsustainable demands on the remaining medical workforce.

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