Steinbach MLA and Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that paramedicine is now a regulated health profession in Manitoba under The Regulated Health Professions Act.
“Paramedics are often the first point of contact for patients suffering through potentially life-threatening, traumatic situations,” said Goertzen, who spoke today at an event co-hosted by the Paramedic Association of Manitoba and Paramedic Association of Canada celebrating Paramedic Services Week. “Giving this profession the right to self-regulate acknowledges their importance to the health-care system and the work they do, for the benefit of all Manitobans.”
The Regulated Health Professions Act will bring all regulated health professions under one umbrella piece of legislation. It set out a new way of regulating who does what in the provision of health services, based on the concept of regulating specific health procedures.
A regulation under the act that establishes a college for the profession and sets out the scope of practice of the profession was passed earlier this week, fulfilling a throne speech commitment made last fall by the Manitoba government. Goertzen said the passage of the regulation also allows for a 15-member transitional council, first announced in February, to be formally appointed.
“On behalf of the council, I’m pleased the regulations have been put in place to move this process forward,” said Dr. John Wade, council chair. “Our next steps are to undertake the work needed to enable the college to assume the responsibility to regulate the profession including recruiting the first registrar/executive director.”
The appointments follow the Manitoba government’s announcement earlier this spring to fund 60 new full-time equivalent paramedic positions throughout the province. The new hires, which will reduce emergency medical service reliance on on-call staffing positions by hiring full-time positions instead, represent a $2.4-million investment for the final two quarters of this year, increasing to $5 million in 2019.
To read the May 2017 report on paramedic self-regulation, visit: gov.mb.ca.
