Saskatoon is set to receive two 24-hour ambulances and an additional community paramedic as part of medical services funding from the government of Saskatchewan.
According to a release from Medavie Health Services West, the ambulances will be available seven days a week and the paramedic will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Over the past five years, the city has experienced a 33 per cent increase in EMS call volumes and longer response times.
“As a health solutions partner, receiving these increased resources will continue to provide the residents of Saskatoon with timely and appropriate high-quality care,” chief operating officer Gerry Schriemer said.
Schriemer said the deployment plans are still being finalized and the ambulances could be seen as early as January.
Funding for the ambulances is being taken from a $700,000 government commitment in 2023-24 to help address demands for EMS services in the city.
“We are committed to ensuring Saskatchewan patients have the access they need to emergency medical services in health crisis situations,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said. “This increase in ambulance and paramedic capacity for the Saskatoon area will improve response times to 911 calls and better balance the workload for our paramedics.”