The moratorium on combining ambulance services in Alberta has been lifted.
CEO of the Health Quality Council, Dr. John Cowell says the moratorium created confusion.
He says it resulted in a patchwork of EMS dispatch with no ability to track and monitor all ambulances and crews in the province in real time, as well as there were communication challenges for dispatch centres, crews and medical responders.
A new report released by the council examines how the province can make ground ambulance services more efficient.
Health Minister Fred Horne says that the government has accepted all the recommendation in the report.
He says it created a clear road map of exactly what needs to be done and will following through with a number of recommendations that include include an accountability framework for the 9-1-1 system, combining dispatch centres, and a plan to standardize care between rural and urban settings.
March 5th, 2013
