P.E.I. prepares for increase in ambulance demand
Last Updated: Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 11:02 AM AT
CBC News
With P.E.I. offering free emergency ambulance rides to seniors starting April, the government is gearing up for a 10 per cent increase in ambulance trips.
The free ambulance rides are in response to the release this week of a comprehensive review of health-care services on the Island, and a step towards free emergency ambulance rides for everyone.
Dr. Richard Wedge, director of medical programs, said the province can handle the expected increase by having Island EMS bump up the number of hours ambulances are staffed, and by co-ordinating transfers to the mainland so ambulances dropping someone off in Halifax have someone else to bring home for the return trip.
"We'll just co-ordinate to make sure that other person is discharged on time so that we don't have to send an empty ambulance over in the afternoon to pick them up," said Wedge.
"Those co-ordinations there should ensure that we have, at least every other day, another eight to nine hours of ambulance service available in the Queen's County area."
The government has been looking the example of New Brunswick, which eliminated ambulance fees 2½ years ago. Since then, the number of trips has risen nearly 40 per cent.
P.E.I. is not looking at eliminating all fees, only for emergency service. Fees would remain for transfers from one hospital to another.
