Provincial plan to free up rural paramedic services leaves some concerned

An ambulance is seen in this undated photo.

The province is looking to free-up rural paramedic services by paying for a low-acuity patient transport service, but the idea is raising concerns from some who call it a 'band-aid solution.'

In a request for proposals issued by Shared Health on Friday, the province said it is looking for a service to transport hospital inpatients and personal care home residents from the Brandon, Selkirk and Winkler/Morden areas to medical appointments, diagnostic tests or for treatment.

“The transport of low-acuity inpatients to and from health-care facilities can be a prolonged process that takes ambulances in rural Manitoba out of service for hours,” Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon said in a news release.

“Establishing a transport service specifically for these patients will reduce the demand for paramedics to complete these journeys, allowing them to remain in or near the community for emergency calls.”

It is a move that is not sitting well with the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, who said the province shouldn't be taking 'short cuts' to deal with paramedic staffing shortages.

"The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP) has serious concerns about the viability of the government’s plan to privatize patient transports to an unregulated industry based on an unproven pilot project," the association's president Bob Moroz said in a statement.

The province said this program was recently piloted in a few communities, and with the request for proposals out now, the province is looking to formally established with base locations in Brandon, Selkirk and the Winkler/Morden area.

“In most inter-facility transport situations, the patient or client will not require ongoing clinical supports during their journey,” Dr. Rob Grierson, chief medical officer for emergency response services with Shared Health, said in a provincial news release.

“Creating a low-acuity transport not only offers patients the right kind of care during their transport, it frees up highly skilled paramedics and ambulances to respond to emergency calls and high-acuity transports.”

However, Moroz said the MAHCP has many questions.

"Who will staff these transports and ensure patients’ safety? What training, qualifications and resources will they have, as there have been tragic outcomes in the past due to patients’ conditions changing rapidly? What are the results of the current pilot project and why aren’t they being shared?" he said.

"We need more paramedics ready to respond to medical emergencies, but there are too many unanswered questions on this band-aid solution.”

Wab Kinew, the leader of Manitoba's opposition party, also chimed in on the plan, saying the provincial government should be focussed on hiring new rural paramedics than bringing in a private company.

Gordon said the province expects the service to be in place by the end of the year.