The Paramedic Association of Manitoba met yesterday with Health Minister Theresa Oswald. The hour long conversation marked PAM's first meeting with the Minister since the spring provincial election.
Our initial discussions centered around the announced Red River PCP program partnership and the work that had been done to bring that to fruition. We expressed our appreciation to the Minister for Government support to enable the move from MESC to Red River and our hope that RRC might consider additional programs, including an ACP program, in the future.
Much of our conversation centered around our White Paper, Emergency Medical Services - Manitoba's Quiet Crisis. Quite honestly there was frustration expressed on both sides of the table over this issue...the Government's concern about the wide spread release of the document as well as the timing of that release, and our position that it was prompted by a delay in moving forward with the EMS Framework document. Despite these differences in opinion, we did have an excellent discussion around the need for improvements in system delivery and consistency across the province.
The most positive message delivered to us by Minister Oswald was related to the Health Professions Regulatory Reform Initiative; umbrella legislation for all regulated professions. The Minister indicated that she hoped to be able to include PAM in a review of draft recommendations in this area, and looked forward to working closely with our organization as the legislation unfolded.
As the meeting drew to a close, we touched briefly on the External RHA Review, with the Minster stating that she still expected that review to be completed by year end. Minister Oswald also brought up the subject of Blood Samples Legislation, affirming Government support in this area.
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