Still No Money For EMS Education?

In June of 2006 the Memorandum of Understanding between Manitoba Health and the Manitoba Emergency Services College (Brandon) regarding EMS education expired. It was this MOU that outlined the expectations around EMS education programs (EMR and EMT) that were delivered by MESC in regions across the province. In lieu of re-negotiating this agreement with MESC, Manitoba Health began talks with Red River College in an effort to move PCP education into an accredited post secondary health faculty. It was good news for the profession, and government sources were optimistic that Red River would have a PCP course up and running by September, 2007. Unfortunately a delay in securing the necessary funding to develop the program has not only jeopardized that date, but perhaps the entire project.

A month ago the Paramedic Association of Manitoba learned the government funding for the development of the PCP program at Red River has not yet been approved, and that the College was now unable to meet the projected start date of September 2007 (Manitoba EMS Education in Peril). We expressed our concern to Manitoba Health and the provincial government, encouraging them to move swiftly to ensure funding would be available as soon as possible to ensure RRC could meet their next projected program start date of January 2008. I had hoped that we might see funding for the PCP program announced in the upcoming provincial budget (Wednesday, April 4)...but my optimism is waining.

The provincial government has made an unprecedented number of funding announcements over the course of the past two months, all of which I expect will be formalized when the budget comes down. Just last week Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced a $3 million investment in emergency medicine education...none of which is earmarked for EMS. According to Oswald, $1.7M will be used to increase the number of training seats in emergency medicine at the University of Manitoba, and $1.3M will be directed toward incentive programs that encourage current doctors to fill vacant shifts in hospital ERs. In the Minister's words, "This proposal responds directly to their (emergency physicians) concerns (recruitment and retention of ER physicians) and will raise the profile of emergency medicine in Manitoba".

I can certainly appreciate the need to address the shortage of emergency physicians in Manitoba. But what about the need for paramedics in our EMS system? What about the need for an appropriate post secondary education program for paramedics in this province? What about a strategy to address the recruitment and retention of paramedics in our EMS system? These are concerns that we have expressed on many ocassions.

We'll be watching intently as Finance Minister Greg Sellinger unveils his provincial budget on April 4th to see if this government finally has a proposal that responds directly to our concerns.