CBC News ran a story today about emergency medical services response times in rural Manitoba, with the revelation that about 54% of rural communities failed to meet provincial response time bench marks. The median response time outside of Winnipeg was about 16 minutes, according to CBC, which for most medical calls is an appropriate standard.
The fact that rural response times are not what they should be in some Manitoba communities certainly isn’t a reflection of the job Manitoba paramedics are doing in communities across this province. It is more indicative of the issues inherent in the EMS system in Manitoba as a whole. The MGEU was contacted by CBC about the story, and the union shared this information with them.
As many MGEU paramedics know, the union has been advocating for a comprehensive review of the EMS system, and how to improve things like response times in our communities. To date, the Province of Manitoba has not shared details of their strategy for if and when such a review might take place. We have been in contact with senior officials within the Department of Health about these and other emerging issues but are still awaiting a response for more information and/or future meetings.
The union will continue to keep paramedics abreast of any developments as they become known.