Question Period May 24

NDP Leader, Lorraine Michael questions Minister of Health and Community Services on a public ambulance service and paramedics

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The emergency medical service available in the Province is a mixture of public, community, and for-profit services. In November, 2009, the Minister of Health and Community Services said that we may have to start looking at moving toward the type of ambulance service that they offer in other provinces, where there is not as much reliance on the private operators. Mr. Speaker, other provinces have streamlined the provision of ambulance services by putting them under one public umbrella.

So, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services, when will this government put in place a publicly funded and publicly managed ambulance service so that the same standards of operations and services are provided to everyone in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member opposite is aware, the ambulance service in this Province is a combination of hospital ambulance, private ambulance, and also community ambulance. Mr. Speaker, a lot of these private ambulances provide services to rural Newfoundland and Labrador as do the community ambulances. As we look upon a review or what we are going to do with ambulances, Mr. Speaker, one has to take into account the very significant or potentially significant impact on rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, this government is not going to do anything that could hurt rural Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, Mr. Speaker, everything we do is to benefit rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So that is why I was asking the minister what his plan is. I did not get what the plan is.

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only Province in Canada where an emergency medical responder can be the primary caregiver in an ambulance. In other provinces, an EMR would have to be accompanied by a more highly trained paramedic. In this Province, resources are not equitably allocated to sustain paramedics on every ambulance.

I ask the minister, Mr. Speaker: How is this government going to adequately resource the system so that every ambulance can have a trained paramedic?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last number of years, we have invested significantly in the road ambulance service. The first memorandum of agreement with the private and community road ambulances was established in 2000. Subsequent agreements, Mr. Speaker, have increased the road ambulance budget by more than 300 per cent.

We recently, Mr. Speaker, entered into a deal, in 2010, where there was approximately $30 million put into a contract. Mr. Speaker, we also had funding for the four regional health authorities for ambulance services for approximately $13 million. So that is $43 million, Mr. Speaker, we are putting into the road ambulance system. Last year, we put defibrillators into road ambulances.

Mr. Speaker, again, we have a vast geography and a small population. We are trying to ensure that we provide the best possible services to the people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. We certainly are doing that, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I look forward to the day when they are going to put paramedics in all of the ambulances. Mr. Speaker, we are losing many of our rural paramedics to other provinces because they are not receiving the same wages as public sector ambulance operators. They are dealing with the same level of trauma, serious illness, and vulnerability experienced by people in emergency as paramedics in urban areas are and those working under the public system. As well, they are now required to have exactly the same level of training.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Why aren’t all of our emergency medical services under a totally public system so everyone gets paid the same and the same quality of care is provided to everyone in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I understand the member opposite correctly, what she is suggesting is that private ambulance operators in this Province should be – we should get out of that system and not pay for them anymore, so all of the people outside – especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador - who are providing services, we should say to you, we no longer need your services, and we should publicly fund the ambulance service.

Mr. Speaker, if I understand her correctly, it is essentially saying we do not care what private ambulance operators in Newfoundland and Labrador do; get rid of that system because they cannot provide the service needed.

Is that what she is saying, Mr. Speaker?