It’s been talked about for years, but it looks as if the Kenora District Services Board will be finally able to move ahead with a pilot project for non-urgent land ambulance patient transfers.
Henry Wall is the Chief Administrative Officer and says they plan to launch the service later this year.
He says because the system is so busy right now, they need to find a better way to get patients to hospital appointments.
Wall says the land ambulance service has been overwhelmed by calls for service, making it extremely difficult to handle non-emergency situations.
Wall adds the current system is having a real impact on patient care, hospitals, physicians and municipalities.
He notes they’ve added an extra crew to the land ambulance base in Sioux Lookout and a third one in Kenora, just to handle the volume of calls for service in those communities.
Wall stresses because this is an election year, there is concern the pilot project might fall through the cracks, but they plan to keep the pressure on the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to ensure it goes forward.
