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"New equipment is always necessary, but it’s people who answer the emergency calls and respond, not phones and ambulances.”— Mike Parker, HSAA President
Edmonton (04 Oct. 2022) — 10 new ambulances, 5 in Edmonton and 5 in Calgary, being added is a start, but it is only a drop in the bucket of what’s needed to meet the demand for emergency services.
Ambulances barely make a dent in health care problem
“Ambulances are a good start, but they don’t care for the sick and injured, people do,” said Mike Parker, President of Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE). The week the announcement was made there were 500 paramedic shifts unstaffed. “We need people!," Parker continued.
The current government is asserting it has hired enough paramedics to staff these new ambulances, but they have said that before, and the reality on the street is they haven’t.
New equipment is necessary, but more people are needed
“We know,” continued Parker, “that in some cases, paramedics are simply being redeployed to staff new equipment, leaving their previous assignment unfilled. New equipment is always necessary, but it’s people who answer the emergency calls and respond, not phones and ambulances.”
HSAA/NUPGE has been calling on government for years to do more to retain the emergency response professionals we have, do more recruiting, and restart harm reduction and mental health and wellness programs that are proven to reduce the impact on the system and save lives.