Health Minister John Haggie called a news conference on short notice today to provide an update on what NAPE insists is a crisis in paramedicine.

Haggie says his department was on the right path with important policy work when the pandemic struck.

And while he doesn’t lay all the blame on COVID-19, he says the spinoffs have been crippling for health care systems everywhere.

Haggie says the resulting increase in calls, longer waits for an ambulance, and delays with offloading patients have added additional stress to paramedics and a system that was already hurting.

Help is on the way but it won’t be overnight.

Three more ambulances and 25 new full-time hires have been approved, although none have been recruited yet.

Additional space will also be added at the Health Sciences Centre to deal with capacity and offloading issues.

As well, class sizes continue to be increased for not just paramedics, but various levels of nursing expertise, and a human resource plan is in the works to address doctor shortages.

As for the mental health of staff, Haggie says they work 24-7 and will in turn have 24-7 support when they need it.

Meanwhile, a committee of NAPE and government officials is due to meet tomorrow to continue dialogue specific to paramedicine.