{"id":54203,"date":"2023-02-23T21:03:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T20:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/federal-healthcare-funds-must-be-invested-in-paramedics-and-the-broader-public-healthcare-system-cupe-paramedics\/"},"modified":"2023-02-23T21:03:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T20:03:31","slug":"federal-healthcare-funds-must-be-invested-in-paramedics-and-the-broader-public-healthcare-system-cupe-paramedics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/federal-healthcare-funds-must-be-invested-in-paramedics-and-the-broader-public-healthcare-system-cupe-paramedics\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Healthcare Funds Must Be Invested in Paramedics and the Broader Public Healthcare System: CUPE Paramedics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The $74 billion ten-year healthcare deal between the Ontario and the federal government is a positive step but the funds must be immediately used to improve paramedic services and bolster the public health care system, says Niko Georgiadis, the chair of the CUPE Ontario Ambulance Committee that represents the majority of paramedics in the province.\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cParamedics and dispatchers continue to feel abandoned by the provincial government. Due to chronic underfunding, we were struggling to serve our communities even before the pandemic<\/a>,\u201d says Georgiadis, a frontline paramedic. \u201cThe surge in 911 calls in the past three years without a corresponding increase in staffing levels has exacerbated the crisis. We are seeing a disturbing<\/a> rise<\/a> in Code Zero<\/a>* incidents, when there are no ambulances available to respond to 911 calls.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nGeorgiadis says he hopes the province, which covers 50 per cent of funding for paramedic services, will use the immediate funding injection of $773 million by the federal government to provide relief to paramedics who were enduring harsh working conditions to meet patient needs.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMost paramedics across Ontario are working at a feverish pace. It\u2019s taken a toll on our mental health and resulted in a growing recruitment and retention crisis,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s normal for paramedics to work 12-hour shifts without breaks, or to be forced into working over-time because there aren\u2019t enough staff. It\u2019s not sustainable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nAccording to Georgiadis, paramedics would also benefit from improvements to other parts of the healthcare sector, as their jobs intersect with gaps in hospitals, primary care, long-term care and other sub-sectors. But he says it\u2019s important for the federal funds to be strings-attached to bolster the public system.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe are concerned about the Ford government\u2019s new legislation that will expand privatization. Every dollar that goes into profits is a dollar wasted. The federal funds must be invested in our public health system, not to pad investors\u2019 pockets,\u201d he says.\n<\/p>\n

\nBackground info<\/b>\n<\/p>\n