 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
( j1 n( N3 H& q; K% ~/ ], ~( TLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST7 P% A1 A+ ]# p8 q6 {
CBC News
& {' M+ o! _ R" U. X \" ]4 TThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
! f+ F' R A& B7 H/ z$ v5 E) r4 Y2 [1 M& H/ V: Y
"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.
' L& X+ g% ^: y2 s) W
0 F% A/ l6 \1 e$ E2 ?- lLast 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.( V0 h# m& d1 S5 L2 j9 J7 g
7 G) p7 V" r( ~
EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.0 R0 r/ r2 l" ` D# s( W
5 B6 t1 A2 [2 O% ^0 ^; b. c
Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.! G! k$ [( [; [& M- ?$ v
2 J6 t. B! q7 ?: D- D"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says.
2 n# Y% V. _, N% q9 P5 k6 `
9 ~, P8 y8 O9 m2 A3 F* fHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.
8 N0 ^+ B% _# }* m) @3 R- {' |+ w
Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
|