On April 30, the band council of Kanesatake, in Montérégie, received bad news. His only ambulance was damaged while returning from Saint-Eustache hospital, after a collision with a passenger vehicle which had failed to respect the mandatory stop.
Luckily no one was hurt, but that puts our ambulance out of action for several days.
says Robert Bonspiel, president of First Nations Paramedics (PPN).
His company managed to hire a replacement vehicle, but only for short periods. And he will have to get help from several different ambulance services while he waits for his main vehicle to be repaired.
In the event of breakage, maintenance or an accident, the other ambulance services in Quebec all have the right to have an extra vehicle, known in the trade as a mule.
laments Mr. Bonspiel.
” We have asked the Ministry of Health several times over the past 10 years to be entitled to it, but each time we are told to manage. »
Unlike its counterparts in Kahnawake or Akwesasne, the Kanesatake ambulance service is referenced by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), which pays for part of the costs related to the vehicle, but Mr. Bonspiel points out that in cases from mules
, all operating costs (registration, maintenance, fuel) are borne by the company. He therefore misunderstands the ministry’s refusal.
On the side of the ministry, they retort that they agree that Mr. Bonspiel’s company should have a mule vehicle. But it is specified that Mr. Bonspiel wanted the ministry to cover all of the costs relating to this expense. We never do that
says Marie-Claude Lacasse, public relations officer at MSSS.
” The company also requested that the MSSS finances the purchase of a supervision vehicle (rapid intervention). We agree to pay for the radio communication, but we never buy the vehicle for the companies. »
Ambulance companies are licensed private companies. It is their responsibility to carry out the management of the material
concludes the ministry.
Informed of the department’s response, Mr. Bonspiel believes that it is a communication problem. We understand that this second vehicle is not financed and is in fact an old vehicle that has reached the end of its useful life.
he writes. The permit we applied for is the problem. The MSSS has refused it so far
.
After 40 years as a paramedic, Hal Newan, now retired, continues to focus on issues related to his profession. Two months ago, he created the Facebook page The last ambulance which deals in particular with the issue of service interruptions.
” The only ambulance service in Quebec to which the Ministry of Health has not given authorization to have a second vehicle is the Aboriginal ambulance service. It creates a two-tier health system and, in my opinion, illustrates the problem of systemic racism. »
The thorny issue of schedules
According to Robert Bonspiel, the department refuses his company to own a supplementary vehicle because the volume of calls does not justify it. If his company covers the Mohawk community and its surroundings (Saint-Placide, Oka, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Benoît, Mirabel, etc.), this represents a volume of some 500 interventions per year.
This figure has been falling since 2017, since the CAQ decided to improve the service contract of a competitor of Mr. Bonspiel: the company Services Préhospitaliers Laurentides-Lanaudière, based in Mirabel.
Robert Bonspiel
Photo: Courtesy
They have the right to hire paramedics paid by the hour who are permanently in their vehicle. They are therefore faster and favored by the automatic dispatch system compared to our paramedics, who are considered to be on duty.
laments Robert Bonspiel.
Like many paramedics in remote areas, Mohawk paramedics are on a 7/14 schedule where they are considered to be on call. Since they can be at home and still be available in case of an emergency, the dispatch system automatically calculates an additional 10 minutes of response time to give them time to get dressed and reach the ambulance.
However, in an area where private ambulance companies compete and a call is automatically routed to the ambulance that can be there the quickest, those 10 minutes of penalty
create unfair competition, according to the Mohawk business leader.
On the subject of requests for transformation of shift schedules into hourly schedules, the ministry indicates floor on this file. We are in the process of analyzing the various requests for all regions of Quebec. An announcement will be made in due course.
says Ms. Lacasse.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca