An internal document indicates Ambulance New Brunswick’s response time success rate might not be accurate.
Kris Austin of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick says paramedics from Ambulance New Brunswick showed him the internal document in a confidential meeting.
“The more we've dug and talked to people who are willing to talk to us we are seeing that this is indeed happening all across the province in rural areas,” says Austin.
Chipman Mayor Carson Atkinson says the memo confirms what he has been hearing anecdotally throughout the community.
“The service is eroding over time,” Atkinson says. “Our council is left with the impression that the response times are fudged in a number of instances and do not accurately represent what is happening in our community.”
Ambulance New Brunswick is contractually required to respond to a call within 22 minutes, with 90 per cent of them in rural areas. But there are eight exceptions allowed, including the distance to the call.
But Health Minister Victor Boudreau says that exemption doesn’t exist.
“My staff is telling me that distance is not an exemption. I will certainly take that back and take one more look at it, but I have no reason to believe distance is an exemption,” Boudreau said.
Wednesday in St. Stephen, Premier Brian Gallant committed to working towards a solution to the ambulance response times.
“We do have to point out that Ambulance New Brunswick is the one that is providing this service, so we'll do what we can to work with them to ensure that we're giving the best service possible to all New Brunswickers, including people that live in rural areas,” Gallant said
Kris Austin wants the Department of Health to monitor response time numbers more closely and for the province to put more paramedics and ambulances in rural communities.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
