Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
The era of on-call shift work for Huntingdon paramedics has come to an end.
The provincial government announced in May that $2,292,696 in additional funding will be made available to strengthen ambulance coverage and pre-hospital emergency services in the Montérégie region.
The improvements to ambulance services will include the conversion of 8,760 hours of on-call shift work to scheduled 24-hour service, seven days a week, in Huntingdon. This measure will also add 2,281 hours of service in the Sorel area, as well as 2,920 hours in Granby, and 1,044 hours in Cowansville.
Huntingdon paramedics, who are currently expected to be on call 24 hours a day for seven consecutive days, have long been asking for set hourly schedules. Huntingdon paramedics serve the town as well as the western territory of the Haut-Saint-Laurent including Godmanchester, Hinchinbrooke, Elgin, Sainte-Barbe, Saint-Anicet and Dundee. They have argued that the current shift system places residents at risk of longer wait times or delays for ambulance services.
On-call work, which was introduced as a temporary solution in the 1980s, was previously abolished for all Montérégie posts except for Huntingdon. According to the provincial government, the change to regular schedules will take place this year.
“This improvement in pre-hospital emergency services in Quebec’s regions demonstrates that we are continuing to invest heavily to enhance these services where significant needs have been identified,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé. “We are ensuring that we optimize the services provided to make them even more efficient and accessible in a shorter timeframe,” he added, before insisting the government prioritizes Quebecers having the best possible ambulance coverage, regardless of where they live.
The ambulance coverage assessment process, implemented in June 2022, is based on a neutral and annualized approach which allows the government to respond equitably to different population needs. Based on ministerial guidelines for ambulance service, the process serves as a framework for regional institutions to analyze their current coverage and evaluate any requests for schedule changes or additional hours of service, to ensure staffing and resources meet the needs of the population.
Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette said she was pleased that better ambulance coverage will be implemented in certain parts of the region, and particularly in the Huntingdon area. “These adjustments will improve service accessibility and reduce response times for users,” she said, while pointing out that the elimination of shift schedules will also make it easier to attract more paramedics to the region.