MPP Wayne Gates says Niagara residents waiting hours for ambulance after calling 911.
A local MPP is raising concerns about wait times for ambulances in Niagara.
During Question Period today, Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates asked Premier Doug Ford to address Niagara's emergency response situation.
Gates notes he has spoken with front-line workers who tell him that residents who dial 911 are sometimes waiting hours for an ambulance to show up.
"I've been speaking with frontline EMS workers and residents and frankly what's happening in Niagara is terrifying," Gates says. "We have so few hospital beds in Niagara that ambulances are waiting upwards of five hours to offload patients at hospitals. This means that over half of Niagara's ambulances are waiting at hospital emergency departments and not on the roads. In my community that means residents are dialing 911 and waiting three hours for an ambulance to be available or being told to take a cab."
Gates says local frontline workers need extra support to not only handle the volume of 911 calls coming in, but to also clear backlogs at hospitals causing delays.
He is also calling for more beds and reiterating a push to repeal Bill 124, which limits wage bumps for healthcare workers to one percent over year over a three year period.
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