CALGARY — The province is providing more ambulances and staff to the city of Edmonton following complaints from paramedics about poor service.
Health Minister Fred Horne says two extra emergency vehicles will be on the road in the Alberta capital. The province is also hiring five more paramedics and 12 emergency medical technicians.
Horne says the plan is to add another 14 employees later.
A survey of paramedics earlier this month indicated that Edmontonians were waiting up to an hour for emergency medical crews to arrive.
The survey also suggested the level of service slipped in 2008 when the province took over ambulance administration.
David Swann, health critic for the Opposition Liberals, says the new hirings only bring staffing levels up to where they were before burned-out workers left.
He says Horne’s other announcement regarding ambulance stations being opened was already part of a five-year plan for Emergency Medical Services.