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Rural Ambulance Service

Res #: 15-09M
Number: 15
Year: 2009
Midterm: Yes
Expired: Yes
Responses Received: No
Departments: Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing

WHEREAS rural health care is at a minimum with emergency room closures, doctor shortages and support staff shortages;

WHEREAS rural ambulance service is of the utmost importance and are staffed with volunteers and part-time workers who want to ensure that vital emergency care is readily available when needed; 

WHEREAS rural ambulance services experience low call volumes with too few calls to keep paramedics interested in practicing in rural areas;

WHEREAS providing ambulance service directly from the urban centres will further erode emergent care in the rural areas; and 

WHEREAS the educational requirements established by the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics are prohibitive to attracting new members to maintain the viability of rural ambulance service and are putting rural ambulance service at risk of being eliminated;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the Provincial Government to have the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics’ educational requirements for ambulance personnel be First Aid/CPR-Level C and the First Responder Course in order to be licensed and that all other training requirements be met through continuing education modules conducted at the local level with accountability to the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics.

Response from Al Hilton, Deputy Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing:

Resolution numbers 14 and 15 fall under the portfolio of the Ministry of Health. I have forwarded a copy of this letter to the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister Dan Florizone.

 

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