 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch ' v5 C, h u& ^$ }8 T
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST9 @7 ^2 h& ]- Z! e
CBC News + S y6 q2 |; ?1 S
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.5 b. D& @2 U4 }! Z% _" J
1 Z, m' \+ c, J3 \
"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.
; B4 H4 H( u- x
. V/ {# m: h( E% j/ xLast 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.
: x* W) A% N# T( M
5 ?9 I: f0 s R/ {4 jEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.
/ N3 f: V+ ?( k5 A& E% k2 \, [# C3 W
Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.+ F \3 x, J' b0 a; s% S/ W1 }2 I
' d/ h( |( g& S2 M4 \. Z O
"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. ! S% H' m. F9 o& P! t- w' S! D- c0 s
+ E. N. S6 N, S H
He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.
2 T* {7 E) K8 V% z7 U* v, z
7 q% a4 x2 z7 A6 \" w5 S7 DCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
|