Crowded hospitals, paramedic shortage to blame for lack of Sask. ambulance service, says health-care official
Sask. ambulances unavailable more than 1,100 times since February, says NDP
A shortage of paramedics, crowded hospitals and other factors are to blame for the recent gaps in ambulance service in Saskatchewan, says one health-care official.
In more than 1,100 instances since February, people who called for an ambulance were told none was available, according to data obtained by the province's NDP Opposition. Those numbers don't include Saskatoon and other communities that have different ambulance providers.
"Absolutely, it's a concern," said Steven Skoworodko, president of the Paramedic Chiefs of Saskatchewan. "It's not a great situation for the patients or the paramedics. They're trying their best to get there, but that happens."
Skoworodko, who owns the ambulance company serving the town of Wakaw, Sask., and surrounding area, said a combination of factors is responsible for the periodic gaps in provincial ambulance service.
Crowded hospitals are part of the problem. Paramedics can't drop off a patient and leave until there's an available space in the hospital. They sometimes wait hours for that to happen, he said.
There's also a severe shortage of paramedics across Canada, he said. In Saskatchewan, there are 150 vacant paramedic EMS jobs, not including paramedic positions in fire services or with private companies.
He said call volumes are also increasing. That could be due to all the health consequences of COVID, from complications due to delayed surgeries or treatment to mental health issues.
He said all this is leading to periodic disruptions in ambulance service "not only for us here in the province but nationally. That's happening more and more everywhere."
According to Saskatchewan Health Authority documents obtained by the NDP Opposition, there were 1,132 instances of code NAA (no local ambulance available) logged from Feb.14 to Oct. 2.
That includes 323 instances in Regina, 76 in Cut Knife, 70 in La Loche, 58 in Meadow Lake and 56 in Buffalo Narrows. More than half of the instances of no local ambulance available occurred in rural communities, according to the data.
Even though communities such as Saskatoon aren't included in the data, Skoworodko said it's an issue there, too. He said his Wakaw-based ambulances were called to help in Saskatoon this week.
Opposition Leader Carla Beck called on the Sask. Party government and Premier Scott Moe to do more.
"The premier needs to stop with the excuses, roll up his sleeves and get this issue fixed," Beck said in a news release. "Over a thousand calls for local ambulances going unanswered sure sounds like a health system in crisis to me. Health care should be available when you need it, not hours down a snowy road."
Health Minister Everett Hindley noted there are more training spaces available for paramedics, and said they're working closely with SHA officials to find solutions.
"I think we want to ensure that number one, that we're training people and we're keeping them here in Saskatchewan. I think that would be our utmost priority," Hindley said.
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