NDP pledges to end per-kilometre fees for rural ambulances

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This article was published 28/03/2016 (3813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Greg Selinger says a re-elected NDP government would spend $20 million to cut ambulance fees in half, remove per-kilometre charges for rural and northern residents receiving ambulance services, and lower parking fees at hospitals.

“We’re going to have a one-price-for-all approach for all Manitoba ambulance fees,” Selinger said Monday. “Right now if you live outside the city, you pay a per-kilometre charge. So, we’ll cut the cost of ambulance fees in half and we’ll eliminate the per-kilometre charge so it’s the same fee in Winnipeg as it is in rural Manitoba and northern Manitoba.”

Earlier in the election campaign, Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister also vowed to cut ambulance fees in half, but made no mention of per-kilometre charges.

Selinger said ambulance trips originating in some remote locations can produce bills reaching $1,000 or more.

He said the NDP would also cover some other ambulance fees to ease the burden, for instance, on low-income patients with chronic illnesses who face multiple trips to hospital each year.

Meanwhile, he said finding affordable hospital parking is frequently a challenge for those visiting loved ones. Winnipeggers can pay as much as $20 a day to park at some institutions.

“It’s not just an irritant. It’s something we can do something about,” Selinger told a news conference.

Selinger said if the NDP is re-elected, the government will work with hospitals to lower parking fees and look for innovative programs to ease the cost for frequent users. He said the NDP would also double funding for a Canadian Cancer Society program that helps arrange rides to treatment for patients.

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Dr. Dhali Dhaliwal, former president and CEO of CancerCare, said high parking fees can be both an emotional and financial burden for patients and their families.

“On a number of occasions I’ve personally paid to stop the (patient’s) car being towed away,” said the physician, who attended the NDP announcement.

Selinger said the NDP would also expand and make permanent a pilot project that sees paramedics make house calls to chronic 911 medical callers.

The Emergency Paramedic in the Community (EPIC) program has proven to be successful in serving frequent ambulance users, treating these people in their homes and preventing many unnecessary ambulance trips to hospitals, he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca