An advocate for air ambulance services in the province is arguing that a more centralized management approach is needed in order to better improve the system.
Eugene Nippard is the chair of the Air Ambulance Medical Transport Advocacy Group.
Nippard has been fighting for a base in central since March of 2018.
He contends that the current base in St. John’s is inefficient, with about 70 per cent of the population on the Avalon not needing the service. Meanwhile, he says Goose Bay doesn’t have 24-hour coverage, meaning that after a certain hour flights would have to travel from St. John’s should there be an emergency.
Nippard would like to see the service centralized.
The issue right now, he says, is that there are too many management systems. He explains that a base in gander would put everything under one umbrella, provide that 24-hour service where needed, and would help fix the current system.