The Saskatchewan government has announced that new paramedic positions will be added to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Regina over the next three months.
A total of 24.5 full-time paramedic positions will be added and will cost Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) $2.4 million annually.
“It is very exciting that we have new opportunities for paramedics in Regina, but also in Saskatchewan,” said Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman.
“We know there have been some pressures there as well in Saskatoon. We want to make sure we have the right complement of individuals to help meet any emergency needs in the Queen City.
The plan comes a day after the SHA and provincial government announced plans to add 100 post-secondary training seats for primary care paramedic students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and regional colleges.
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EMS call volume in Regina has increased more than 14 percent since 2020.
Saskatchewan’s Assistant Chief of Medical Services (PSCS) President Steven Skovorodko said there are three main reasons for the increase in call volume.
“Number one we are seeing an increase in population in the province, which is a good thing, but it also means more resources are needed in their time of need,” Skovorodko said.
“Secondly, we have an aging senior population. So that baby boomer group is getting older, and as we get ever older, our needs for health care are increasing.
He said the third was residual from the pandemic, such as people not addressing their health issues during the height COVID-19,
“We have never seen such a shortage of staff and qualified paramedics in the province.”
He said a membership survey conducted in the spring showed 102 vacancies in the province, with some positions remaining vacant for two years.
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“More paramedics on the ground and more boots can meet the more urgent needs in Regina,” Merriman said.
The new paramedic positions in the city will include two additional ambulances and two fully staffed small paramedic response units.
Smaller response units are used to assist primary paramedics on advanced calls or to transport ambulances to the scene to provide immediate care.
“Investing in additional ambulance capacity is not just about adding resources, it is about improving the quality of life for our paramedics and ensuring the timely delivery of critical care to those in need in our province,” SHA said Rod Mackenzie, provincial services-community care executive director.
Saskatchewan is not experiencing a high turnover rate of post-secondary paramedics, so the province said it is instead focused on retention.
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“We’re not seeing those freshmen out of school, and we’re finding that a lot of people who are taking primary care paramedic programs are not actually coming out and practicing in ambulance,” said Skovorodko.
He said there are other avenues people can go with that course, such as industrial or fire.
“Our paramedics trained in Saskatchewan are some of the best in the world,” Merriman said. “We know they are sought after but we want to make sure that choosing rural and remote communities, especially Regina and Saskatoon, but also rural and remote communities, is beneficial to them.”
— With files from Global News’ Brodie Langer.
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