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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
& ~. G5 ~4 R- S5 g' b% D2 v+ [Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
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0 B* N# i, b2 U: @There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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"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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. r# ?) _% c" L! V! \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.7 |; o- S* _6 j) E& X
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.) e+ N( {3 _( f( D' @
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"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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