KERROBERT— Staff shortages in the province’s healthcare sector are not new, however some Kerrobert and area residents are concerned about guaranteed ambulance services.
A Kerrobert resident contacted Â鶹ÊÓƵ.ca, explaining ambulance services had been spotty since Dec. 20, 2024. In a community with two doctors, a health practitioner nurse, a long-term care facility, an assisted living facility and a full services hospital, in the case of a medical emergency, a patient could potentially have a longer wait time.
With limited staff working out of Kerrobert, other communities including Kindersley, Unity and Provost, Alta. have been asked to cover the area when services are not available.
“This is not the first time Kerrobert has been short services, it is an ongoing concern in many communities in rural Saskatchewan,” said Mayor Mike Mitchell.
Mitchell, along with a newly elected town council, met with MLA Kim Gartner to discuss the issues around the provision of ambulance service originating out of the Kerrobert Hospital, including the lack of communication to the town regarding the staff shortage.
“This has been addressed with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the town was not notified about the shortage. If 911 is called, an ambulance will respond, it is the wait times that are the issue,” added Mitchell.
“For the community of Kerrobert, and all other rural areas without local tertiary care, the ambulance service is an essential link to our larger community. Disruptions of any length need to be addressed in a timely manner and correspondence with community leaders regarding plans to accommodate the provision of service, is communicated,” said Gartner.
Gartner continues to say he has encouraged Mitchell and the town council to actively engage SHA staff to determine the extent of the service disruptions and to begin seeking long-term solutions for the recruitment of EMS personnel.
The SHA says Kerrobert EMS is experiencing staffing shortages, however if someone calls 911 requiring EMS service, the closest available ambulance is deployed to respond.
“The response time will depend on the level of urgency and where EMS resources are located at the time of the call,” said Courtney Markewich, Media Relations Specialist in a statement from both the SHA and Ministry of Health.
The statement continues:
“The Ministry and the SHA are aware of the challenges within the EMS system and continue to make progress on a multi-year stabilization plan to address staffing issues in many communities across the province. Over the past two budgets, an additional 137 full-time equivalent (FTE) paramedic positions in 54 rural EMS services across the province have been added. An additional 21.19 FTE paramedic positions are being added in the 2024-25 to support an additional 14 communities.”
Â鶹ÊÓƵ.ca has also reached out to Jeremy Cockrill, Minister of Health and Lori Carr, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health, with no response at the time of publication.
