Contract awarded for ambulance program review

Tim Jamison

- November 4, 2012 at 11:34:44

Medavie-Blue Cross and the three Maritime province have already clearly demonstrated what we need as far as paramedical services is concerned. We need one centralized HQ with an in-house fleet center, one dispatch with different sections for the different regions, and a fleet of ambulances, medics, and stations all running under one banner, one uniform, and one set of standing orders made by one medical controlling physician and his board. This will increase the medics' training and professionalism by opening up the doors of their careers to easier transferring and easier advancement. These measures have reduced wait times and deaths in the three Maritime provinces. This is a documented fact. It is also a MASSIVE DISGRACE that there are still basic life support trucks running around this province. They are not capable of dealing with Grandma's slow heart or your broken arm (you do like Morphine with your broken arm, don't you?). So get talking with Medavie. They've been eyeballing this place for years and they are ready to start talking. Far more ready that you'd think. I'm also wondering why my last comment did not get printed, Telegram. Does my heavily understanding this issue concern and shock you, me being a conservative and all?

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  Rick Pike

  - November 5, 2012 at 19:14:36

  Whether it is Medavie-Blue Cross or another form of Medical Command Post, I agree with Mr. Jamison, the uniformity void between urban and non-urban clients perpetuates a we-and-they scenario. The recent loss of a young man while being transferred between clinics en route to St. John's further underlines the need for one-system under a command structure. The present inequity in the present system and why it needs fixing can be read in the NL AG report on road ambulances in 2010. Rick Pike Port au Choix

NLParamedic

- November 3, 2012 at 13:34:04

As a paramedic providing YOUR care, I urge you to contact your local MHA and provide your thoughts and comments at this very important time. The government is allowing private services to operate at less than satisfactory levels. Do you want an ambulance with 450,000km on it transporting you from Corner Brook to St. Johns?

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Rick

- November 2, 2012 at 18:17:47

Interesting. In 2010 the Attorney General NL reviewed and reported on the state of road ambulance transport and road ambulance patient care. That was two years ago. We are all aware of the recent death of a young man who basicaly escaped from a road ambulance while en route to hospital. This week the CEO of Eastern Health cleared the road ambulance of any responsibility. Be mindful that the findings were from an internal government review. The question that needs to be answered: what has the NL government acted on with regard to the Attorney General recommendations from his 2010 report? That should have been made public before hiring yet another contractor to see how they are doing, albeit produce a report minus patient transport quality.

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joe

- November 2, 2012 at 16:59:21

I'm sure they wouldn,t want anyone poking around the fiasco that saw the air ambulance moved from St. Anthony.

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