Our newsroom received a statement from the Department of Health clarifying the response time requirements included in their contract with Ambulance New Brunswick.
In a story brought we brought you earlier this week, Kris Austin of the People’s Alliance party claimed people in rural areas of the province are waiting too long for an ambulance.
A statement from the Department of Health says paramedics can report distance to their dispatcher as a reason for being unable to meet the standardized response time on a call but it’s not considered an exemption under the contract.
It does say that exemptions do exist for situations that are beyond the control of Ambulance New Brunswick like mechanical and technology failures, train crossings and weather conditions.
Travelling distance is not included.
The Department of Health get reports from ANB regularly on response rates, including the number of exemptions and what is reported to the public is consistently aligned with contractual requirements.
