Consistent EMS Service Delivery

In May of this year the Paramedic Association of Manitoba presented all provincial MLAs with information regarding the consistency (rather lack thereof) of emergency medical services across the province. In the context of that presentation we outlined:

• Manitoba is comprised of eleven (11) Regional Health Authorities; each is very distinct in their approach to the delivery of Emergency Medical Services.
  
• Within the boundaries of the RHAs there are 37 different service operators. This governing model has contributed to an inconsistent and inefficient Emergency Medical Services System.
• Across Canada provincial governments are adopting more centralized EMS. Provinces such as Nova Scotis, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick operate various forms of a "province-wide" EMS delivery model.

In an effort to promote more consistent and efficient pre-hospital emergency medical care, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba has recommended that Manitoba move toward a province-wide "over-sight" or management model for EMS. One suggestion we've made is that RHAM (Regional Health Authorities of Manitoba) be tasked with operational management of Manitoba's EMS resources.

At their annual covention held in Winnipeg last weekend, the Manitoba Federation of Labor addressed the concern of inconsistent emergency medical services by unanimously accepting the following:

• Be it resolved: the MFL lobby the provincial government to ensure EMS becomes a provincial program that provides consistent, uniform, quality patient care on an equal basis for all Manitobans.

Earlier in the year the Manitoba Young New Democrats passed a similar resolution at their annual meeting in Winnipeg. Concerned about varying levels of patient care from region to region, they uamimously passed:

• Be it resolved: that the Manitoba Government create a provincial authority that will govern pre-hospital care and will have provincially recognized standards of care, regardless of urban or rural environment.

Standardizing our emergency medical services and coordinating resources to ensure more effective and efficient utilization of paramedics only makes sense. Without cenralized management of all EMS services, responsible for coordinating operational activities and ensuring standardized medical oversight and consistency of care, little will change even with a provincial dispatch centre. Regions will continue to develop policy based only on the needs within their boundaries. There are strengths and weaknesses in every region today...let's learn from those and move forward in a coordinated effort to ensure our patients receive the level of care they deserve. It's good for our patients, and it will only serve to improve the system and the conditions in which we work.