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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
) w. v) C/ u0 X! cLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST2 P$ M& H! B: H
CBC News 3 `; \; u( `9 f' ]/ c; T/ K# H
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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7 n3 K9 y1 x9 E4 U3 v8 f3 D"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.
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Last week, a red alert led Capital Health to admit that hospitals can't keep up, meaning ambulances have to wait at emergency until the hospital can take the patient.
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) Z, X, O6 X8 l1 a H9 G$ BEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.9 a2 F5 c* k P3 g' V' q8 ]( z0 n
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse./ E( f2 k9 m1 |7 t7 u9 ?8 k
: R' U% P% X$ B" B9 S"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says.
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He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.
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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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