The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, presents his action plan on Thursday to improve pre-hospital services over the next five years. He wants to train more citizens in first aid and increase the number of first responders in municipalities. Quebec also plans to implement a law governing public access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). It grants $5.9 million to four regions to improve their ambulance service.
The publication of this plan comes after an investigation by Montreal Journal revealed that ambulance crews struggle to meet the 8 to 10 minute time limit, recommended by experts during an emergency situation, in 94 Quebec municipalities.
The wait is more than 15 minutes for 23 of them. Situations deemed “unacceptable” by Minister Christian Dubé who reacted to this subject on X (formerly Twitter) last week.
In its press release issued Thursday morning, Quebec announced that nearly $630 million will be invested for the implementation of the government action plan for the 2023-2028 emergency prehospital system. The 82-page document highlights the importance of involving citizens in first aid. Quebec is “lagging behind” in this area, it is written, when “compared to other nations such as Norway” where “80% of the population has already received first aid training”.
The government also plans to review the “first responders” program in order to improve pre-hospital coverage of the population. “Municipalities will therefore have to be mobilized to ensure that they assume their role in the pre-hospital intervention chain and that they measure the major impact of this service on the quality of care offered to their citizens,” indicates the plan. . A law on public access to defibrillation, indicating in particular the places which must have an AED, is also planned.
Improve regional services
Sums of $5.9 million are dedicated to improving ambulance service in four regions: the Laurentians, Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec, Montérégie-Centre and Chaudière-Appalaches. This money will be used to convert shift schedules into hourly schedules or to add service hours, specifies Quebec.
The first four heliports will also be built at the Lanaudière Regional Hospital Center in Joliette, at the Roberval Hospital, at the McGill University Health Center and at the Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal.
The government plan also advocates the establishment of regional community paramedicine pilot projects. Paramedics could in particular monitor medication and treatments.
Further details will follow.