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Minutes Count: Lifeflight Crew Move Could Impact Urgent Care for Sick & Injured Kids |
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Written by NDP News Release
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Monday, 06 February 2006 |
NDP Health Critic Dave Wilson is calling on the Minister of Health, Angus MacIsaac, and Emergency Health Services to revisit its decision to move the base of operations for Emergency Health Services' Pediatric LifeFlight crew from the Halifax airport to the IWK Children's Hospital in Halifax.
"As a paramedic, I know first hand that minutes and seconds count. When you're dealing with a child who is seriously ill or critically injured, things can change quickly. Sick and injured children deteriorate faster than adults and need every possible second to receive the urgent care they need," Wilson said in a press conference on
Wednesday morning.
"This move means it's going to take longer for LifeFlight to pick up its crew and reach its destination, which means it's going to take longer for sick and injured children to reach the IWK for emergency treatment."
"During emergencies, not only does a child need fast care, but they also have to be transported to the most appropriate facility for care. For a child facing a serious illness or trauma will need to get from a primary care facility like the Strait-Richmond Hospital to the IWK and may face a critical delay."
Wilson is supporting the efforts of the LifeFlight Pediatric team to have the crew base of operations retained at the Halifax International Airport. Wednesday's comments follow a request by Wilson made last week that the Health Minister investigate the decision and make the public aware of the impact of such a move.
"What does the Minister intend to tell parents in those areas? They deserve to know if their kids are going to have the same access to emergency care that kids in other parts of the province are guaranteed by their proximity to the IWK."
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