Last week, the Alberta Liberal Party launched a new support line designed to let everyone provide feedback or concerns for the Province’s EMS system. 

Liberal Leader David Khan says the new EMS Hotline is supposed to provide a safe place for Paramedics and patients to bring their needs forward.

“It’s primarily been launched to receive feedback from emergency medical services staff and workers who are on the front lines of these red alert crises to give feedback through a non-partisan line.”

The new service, however, has been criticized by Alberta’s Health Minister Sarah Hoffman who accused the Liberals of being irresponsible with their hotline.

“Her charge is that we’re somehow diverting patient feedback from established AHS channels and this will hurt the system,” says Khan, “The whole point of this hotline is as a sort of whistleblower or anonymous tip line if necessary, to take in these concerns and these stories about the red alert crises that are happening across the province.”

Khan says that situations like the one that occurred in Airdrie late last month are prime examples of why the hotline was created in the first place.

“We’re hearing stories like that and these red alerts are now not being published by AHS and in fact, it’s apparently difficult for EMS staff to know when red alerts are happening. It’s being really obscured by the government because it’s such a terrible situation.”

He says that issues within AHS such as hospitals being understaffed and funded and a lack of long-term care beds is only putting more strain and extra hours on EMS workers, which leads to the red alert situations.

The EMS hotline is up and running at 1-888-442-4664

READ MORE:

Resident Raises Concerns After A Long EMS Wait

Former EMS Worker Speaks About Code Red Crisis

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