May 17 to 23 has been proclaimed Emergency Medical Services Awareness Week in Manitoba in recognition of the life-saving work the province’s emergency medical services (EMS) professionals do each and every day, Health Minister Theresa Oswald has announced.
“Manitoba’s EMS personnel work day and night in the service of their fellow citizens,” Oswald said. “I extend my gratitude to these dedicated Manitobans for the vital work they do on the front lines of our health-care system.”
There are more than 1,850 licensed EMS providers serving communities across the province. Each year, EMS Awareness Week connects Manitobans with educational materials and activities to raise awareness of the role emergency medical services providers play in saving lives and protecting the health of Manitoba families.
“EMS Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity to recognize the significant contributions made each day by all pre-hospital care providers in communities right across our province,” said Eric Glass, chair of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba. “It also offers a tremendous forum for the public to learn more about early recognition of medical emergencies, appropriate use of our emergency medical services system, and the importance of personal health awareness and injury prevention.”
The province remains committed to building on its investments to further strengthen EMS services across Manitoba, Oswald said.
Recent provincial investments in emergency medical services include:
• $5 million for 39 new and replacement ambulances for communities across the province;
• $2.7 million to permanently hire additional paramedics province-wide;
• $1.3 million to partner with Red River College to deliver a primary-care paramedic program at the college’s main campus and at three rural and northern sites;
• $7.8 million to develop the Medical Transportation Co-ordination Centre in Brandon, the dedicated centre for the dispatch of all rural and northern medical services including inter-facility transfers;
• $6.5 million to replace an air-ambulance jet in the Lifeflight program which provides life-saving transport each year to more than 500 people living in remote communities;
• $4.6 million to construct or substantially upgrade 16 emergency medical stations in Morden/Winkler, Oak Bluff, Carmen, The Pas, Killarney, Swan River, Minnedosa, Rivers, Ste. Anne, Gypsumville, The Pas, Steinbach, Lundar, Kinisota Trails, Ashern and Dauphin;
• an estimated $7 million each year to fund the full patient cost of inter-facility transports; and
• more than $15 million in a fleet vehicle program including the purchase of 160 new ambulances which introduced ambulance standards and reduced purchase and vehicle operation expenditures.
