Nearly 25% of Manitoba paramedics can't dispense life-saving drug naloxone

Vials of the life-saving drug naloxone are on board ambulances throughout ruralManitoba, but nearly one-quarter of licensed paramedics can't administer it, according to statistics obtained by CBC News.

Nearly 24 per cent of the 2,507 licensed paramedics in the provinceare designated emergency medical responders the most basic of three levels of paramedics andcan't dispense the drug or perform other vital duties, according to numbers from Manitoba Health.

"[Naloxone is] on the trucks, it's on the ambulances, it's there," said MichelleGawronsky, president of theManitoba Government and General Employees Union. "We just don't have enough [primary care paramedics]to administer it."

Primary care paramedics make up the majority of Manitoba's responders. Advanced care paramedics also make up a small number of responders.

But in rural parts of the province, it's the basic level of the paramedics, the emergency medical responders, that make up some ambulance crews, especially in smaller communities in western Manitoba,according toMGEU. The Southern and Interlake-Eastern health regions phased out the basic paramedic role.

Gawronskyattributes the lack of responders in rural Manitoba to a lack of training.

"There's not enough training being offered," she added. "To be able to maintain services in rural Manitoba, they are doing it by maintaining the EMR levels out there and keeping the ambulances running."

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The problem goes further than just naloxone, which can save the lives of those overdosing on potent drugs like fentanyl.

Emergency medical responders can'tstart intravenouslines and they can'tadminister nitroglycerin for people with chest pains, glycogen for diabetics or Benadryl for those experiencing an allergic reaction.

According to the ParamedicAssociation of Manitoba, there are still many primary care paramedics that also haven't been authorized toadminister drugs like naloxone, even though they are trained.

The association said the province has issued a directive to Manitoba health regions that all primary care paramedics must be able to administer naloxone by January 2017. The group is calling on the directive to go one step further and alsoinclude emergency medical responders.

More trained staff needed

Gawronskystopped short of calling the situation a concern butreiterated calls for more training, especially in rural Manitoba.

"Having kids in rural Manitoba myself when they were teenagers, I would definitely want the assurance that should something be needed for them to save their life," she said. "I would want it to be available and I'd want the trained staff to be able to provide it to them."

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The statistics don't surpriseat least one local leader in western Manitoba.

"I'm not surprised," said Debbie McMechan, reeve of the RM of Two Borders, near Melita, Man. "I guess it's going to sound bad but I'm not really as concerned as I really should be."

Melita is about 290 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg near the Saskatchewan and U.S borders.

McMechan said she's just happy that there are people, no matter their qualifications, working in small Manitoba communities ready to take people to the nearest open hospital, which in some cases is more thantwo hours away.

"I know that it's not advisable but I know people that will take their loved one in the vehicle and drive them no matter how dire it might be," McMechan said, adding that some people have experienced long wait times for ambulances in the area.

McMechan doesn't blame the healthcare sector working in the area for the staff shortages and other problems, but on those who have been relying on the same recruitment tactics that she said aren't working.

McMechan hopeful

McMechan, who is on a healthcare committee in the Melita area that has met with the new Progressive Conservative government,is hopeful that solutions such as more training and recruitmentare in the works.

However,Gawronskysaid the MGEU's calls for more training have so far gone unanswered and hopes to meet with the new government soon to discuss concerns.

"I would say that it's unfortunate for the communities, for the members, for the people that live in those communities," Gawronsky said.

Health minister Kelvin Goertzen has metwith Gawronsky and continues to discuss issues with the union and is committed to working to fill the need for more paramedics, the province said in a statement.