EDMONTON — The Health Sciences Association of Alberta says a survey of its members has found that more than 60 per cent say ambulance service dispatch, resources, management and morale is worse than it was two years ago when a similar survey was done.
“Not only have conditions for EMS practitioners not improved, they have in fact deteriorated,” said president Elisabeth Ballermann.
Ballermann says progress seemed to have been made with reports from the Health Quality Council of Alberta, but the recommendations haven’t been fully implemented by the province yet.
She says what has been done is just like putting a “Band-Aid on an arterial bleed.”
“The really fundamental thing that comes through again and again in our survey is the amount of resources, the frustration, that in Edmonton we haven’t seen any meaningful increase in resources since 2008.”
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The president and C-E-O of Alberta Health Services, Vickie Kaminski, says it’s disappointing to hear the results, but adds steps are being taken to better manage the system, such as providing more ambulances.
“There is still work to be done. There are still issues that we need to address. We are committed to doing that,” explained Kaminski. “We have begun meetings both with frontline staff, as well as with managers.
“The morale and well-being of our valued EMS staff is extremely important.”
Kaminski says AHS has trouble recruiting paramedics, ambulances are getting tied up off-loading patients at hospitals, and more people are moving to Alberta.
“Most of them coming in may not have access to primary care, they may not have the kind of community support that they need, so they are really dependent on the acute care system.”
MLA and former paramedic Rick Fraser has been tasked with looking at the issue for the government. It’s a task he says is a very high priority for the Health Ministry.
“We need to come up with a plan and execute it as soon as possible to adjust or correct some of these issues.”
According to AHS in the last four years, 270 new ambulances have been brought in to replace old ones.
With files from Laurel Gregory, Global News.
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