Budget 2009

Last week Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger unveiled the province's budget for 2009. Not surprisingly...no new funding initiatives for emergency medical services.

Mr. Selinger did announce $4 million dollars would be directed toward emergency services in the City of Winnipeg, but this funding is aimed at offsetting the City's decreased financial commitment to EMS. Historically Winnipeg has covered 25% of the cost for ambulance service in the city, while the province picked up 25% and the patient paid the remainnig 50%. Winnipeg has decreased their contribution to approxiamtely 14%, so as a result, despite the funding contained in this budget, no additional money will find it's way into providing ambulance services in the city.

Budget 2009 also included a commitment to "add new ambulances to the provincial fleet". At first glance this may sound promising, however in reality these new units are required to simply replace a number of aging fleet vehicles already in operation.

We're facing difficult economic times, so the fact that Budget 2009 outlined a very modest 1.8% in expenditures should come as no surprise. One third of Government departments were in fact asked to either hold the line or decrease spending. But at a time where health care expenses continue to rise, and the Conference Board of Canada suggests that the manner in which we spend halthcare dollars far outweighs the benefit of simply adding more money to the system, investing in our emergency medical services should be viewed as a wise investment.

In jurisdictions across Canada and internationally, investing in paramedic services has had positive effects on the health care system. Paramedics are treating patients in the community and utilizing non-emergent options such as physican offices, clinics and urgent care facilites to reduce the strain on over-taxed emergency rooms. Timely interventions in respiratory, cardiac and neurological emergency care have been shown to dramatically improve patient outcomes, and have the potential to lessen the finacial burden on both health and social services. Now more than ever, is the time to think "outside the box" and invest in our emergency medical services. Investment made today in service delivery strategies, paramedic education, recruitment and retention and EMS research will have positive long-term financial effects.