The Alberta Premier has fired the board of AHS and appointed an administrator with a mandate to reduce wait times for surgeries and emergency rooms, develop a long-term plan for sustainability in the system, and improve ambulance services
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s plan to overhaul the province’s health care system has singled out ambulance service as an area that needs urgent attention, in the face of long response times and persistent complaints that paramedics are having to spend too much time waiting to offload patients at hospitals.
Improvements to EMS were the most detailed of the four pillars. The government said it would fast-track patient hand-offs at emergency rooms, increase the use of non-emergency vehicles to provide interfacility transfers, and empower dispatch to step-down calls from 911 to Alberta’s health advice phone line. They will also enable paramedics to triage patients on scene to determine the need for an ER.designed to improve service and reduce pressure on the EMS system, Mr. Williamson said.
Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Jason Copping, said in a statement that progress has been made in some areas, such as a reduction in ambulances being called into Edmonton and Calgary from surrounding communities, “but the system is still under strain from 2½ years of the pandemic and we need to do more.”
“Staffing is also a huge challenge and I think that speaks to this demographic time bomb,” he said. “You’re having an increasing burden of elderly and people with chronic diseases at the same time as fewer young people are entering the work force and a lot of our staff are reaching retirement age.
Paul McLauchlin, president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, said the bar is so low in rural areas of the province that “any change is going to be a dramatic improvement.” Mr. McLauchlin said the government’s renewed focus on improving EMS is appreciated but his biggest concern is that change will come slowly and with “a lot of risk in the interim.” The government and AHS said there is no clear timeline for the changes, which are continuing.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion: Danielle Smith makes clean break with Jason Kenney era, at cost of Heritage Savings Trust Fund infusionOnly some Albertans will get direct inflation relief, while the government scraps infusion into trust fund promised just three months ago under Kenney’s tenure
Read more »
Alberta premier defends new rules banning school mask mandates, online-only learning | CBC NewsAlberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending new rules ordering schools to provide in-person learning during the current wave of viral illnesses, saying a clear, measured response is crucial for students and parents.
Read more »
Opinion: Rebranded Alberta Sovereignty Act reveals Smith's dilemmaIn the 1990s, as the issue of Quebec independence still roiled, comedian Yvon Deschamps quipped that all Quebec wanted was to be independent within a strong…
Read more »
Alberta paramedic Jayme Erickson who unknowingly treated daughter in fatal crash shares tears and memories“Jayme unknowingly was keeping her own daughter alive. As both a parent and a first responder, I can tell you this is beyond a nightmare that any of us could have conceived.”
Read more »
Alberta ‘University of the Arts’ show and sale displays student artists’ creativity | Watch News Videos OnlineAUArts student Portia Scabar joins Global News Calgary to discuss her glassblowing work and the unique gifts available at this year’s show and sale happening from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27.
Read more »
Emergency measures considered as Alberta Children's Hospital struggles to keep up with patientsAlberta Health Services (AHS) is eyeing emergency provisions to deal with a surge of patients inside the Alberta Children's Hospital.
Read more »