The following is the monthly column supplied by Premier Tim Houston and his office to media across N.S.
Our medical first responders provide critical care in emergencies and are an essential part of our healthcare system.
But for too long Nova Scotians have not had access to enough paramedics. Those working in the field have said that decades of burnout and feeling undervalued have discouraged more people from entering the profession.
There is good news.
We’re recruiting. Thirty Australian paramedics will join our healthcare system thanks to the province’s first in-person healthcare recruitment effort in that country earlier this year.
We’re training. We’re covering the cost of tuition for more than 460 people who want to become a primary care paramedic or an emergency medical responder. This means more Nova Scotians will be able to work in their communities and save lives.
We created a new temporary licence so paramedics can start working while they wait to write their licensing exams, getting more people on the job, faster.
We’re also training emergency medical responders who can assess, stabilize and transport patients to hospital. They won’t replace paramedics – they will work side-by-side with them to expand the number of teams available to respond to emergency calls.
This role is new to Nova Scotia but is working well in other provinces to increase the number of paramedic teams available and reduce wait times. Over the next two years, 200 people will be trained to do this important work.
We’re getting paramedics the support they need, on the job and outside of it.
We’ve hired nearly 140 operators to handle routine transfers to support our paramedics so they can be where they’re needed most – responding to emergencies.
Our new LifeFlight plane transports non-critical patients from Yarmouth or Sydney to Halifax and has saved more than 8,500 hours of ground ambulance time since it launched a year ago, keeping more ambulances in communities.
And a new contract with paramedics, transport operators and flight nurses includes higher pay, retention bonuses and other benefits, making Nova Scotia an even more attractive place to work and stay.
We also created PSPNET, a free, confidential program designed to meet the unique mental health needs of first responders, including paramedics, so they can continue to be there for us when we need them.
Reducing ambulance wait times has been one of the most pressing and persistent challenges to fixing healthcare. But it is not one we’re shying away from.
I thank every paramedic and emergency medical responder for the work they do on behalf of Nova Scotians.
You give your time, skills and heart to save the lives of Nova Scotians everyday. We will continue to support you.
Tim Houston
Premier of Nova Scotia
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