B.C. Paramedics still dealing with massive shortages.

This is certainly not a new conversation says Clifford, they have been dealing with this for well over a year. The pandemic and the continued overdose crisis, is leaving many paramedics fatigued and overworked, which leads to shifts not being fulfilled and empty ambulances.

This is certainly not a new conversation says Clifford, they have been dealing with this for well over a year. The pandemic along with the continued overdose crisis is leaving many paramedics fatigued and overworked. This leads to shifts not being fulfilled and ultimately leaving ambulances unstaffed.

The BC Liberals have now put a call for action towards the NDP government. asking why ” British Columbians are left waiting for an hour for an ambulance in an emergency.”

“Right now, our frontline workers are being stretched to the brink, and paramedics, in particular, are struggling with low staffing levels and long hours. Said, Renee Merrifield, BC Liberals Critic for Health. “We need to see this government, and this Premier, take immediate action so that British Columbians are not left needlessly suffering while waiting for help to arrive.”

CKPG reached out to the Minister of Health, Adrian Dix here is what he had to say.

We appreciate the incredible work paramedics and dispatchers are doing during this challenging time and we recognize they’re doing everything they can to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively. Recent waits for ambulances are the result of B.C. experiencing unusually high volumes of emergency response calls. For example, on June 2, 2021, BC Emergency Health Services responded to the third-highest ever volume of calls. We take the concerns of people who deal with health services in B.C. very seriously.Our government is hiring more paramedics and delivering more ambulances. Between 2017 and 2019, 115 paramedic positions were added for the province to support direct patient care, improve services and response times, and modernize dispatch operations. In addition, 283 permanent positions have been added since Fall 2020. We’ve also increased the budget dramatically for BCEHS, at an average of 6.9 percent annually over the last four years. In preparation for COVID-19, BCEHS prepared significant additional resources for its fleet. This amounts to an additional 55 ground ambulances across the province, including six in Northern Health. BCEHS also prepared an additional five additional air resources in the province.

by Randi-Marie Adams

B.C. Paramedics still dealing with massive shortages.

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