Argyle-Barrington MLA Colton LeBlanc says workplace issues facing paramedics have ramped up to pre-COVID levels.
LeBlanc says there was a bit of a lull in the need for paramedics and ambulances when the pandemic first hit, but now we’re back to a critical stage.
He says the increase in usage is compounded by a human resources issue within the paramedic community.
LeBlanc thinks the first step toward a solution is to make public a report completed in 2018.
“The province commissioned a $145,000 taxpayer-funded Fitch&Associates report, which was a systemic review of the ambulance system in the province,” he explained. “Which was to determine what’s going well, and what’s not going so well, and to provide recommendations to hopefully improve the system. To this day, it’s been withheld.”
The PC MLA notes that there are a total of three ambulances at the ready for the entire western end of the province.
“When you hear that there’s three ambulances providing coverage from Yarmouth to Halifax?” he asked. “That’s quite frightening. We’re having unfilled ambulance shifts, we’re having 10 to 15% of a fleet that’s not being filled because of paramedic fatigue and burnout.”
LeBlanc says the uptick in ambulance usage isn’t just attributed to an increase in urgent calls, but transfer calls and more demand on emergency rooms and long-term care creating a trickle-down effect.
