Revelstoke Times Review

Macdonald says rural paramedic service issues need to be addressed

By Aaron Orlando - Revelstoke Times Review

Published: June 01, 2009 6:00 PM
Updated: June 02, 2009 3:43 PM

Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald says the current ambulance system is negatively impacting service in rural areas and he’s calling on the provincial government to make changes.

“The last paramedics’ contract made significant changes to pay structures and educational opportunities which made the job of a rural paramedic much less appealing.In order to make a living, many rural paramedics are choosing to move to larger centres, leaving rural communities scrambling to fill the ranks.”

Macdonald says that the $10 wage paid to paramedics when they are on call at the ambulance station is too low, and many cannot afford to work for the pay.

“The government has a responsibility to get ambulance service right.We should not be relying on the paramedics’ union to fight for minimum standards; those standards should be set by government,” said Macdonald.

Changes Macdonald would like to see include improvements to the B.C. Ambulance Service that address the challenges of providing ambulance service in rural B.C. This includes a pay structure that that makes the position attractive and supports for higher levels of training for paramedics.

Macdonald says dealing with the issue during negotiations while paramedics are on strike is the wrong way to go about making these systemic changes. “Forcing paramedics into a strike position over these issues is grotesquely unfair to all involved,” he said. “The government has the responsibility to put an ambulance system in place that guarantees that appropriately trained and experienced paramedics arrive at the scene to care for our sick and our injured.Anything less is simply unacceptable.”

B.C. paramedics have been on strike since April 1.