The Province announced 12 new paramedic positions at Boundary Trails Health Centre today.

Health Minister and Morden-Winkler MLA Cameron Friesen says the positions are part of 25 new, full-time rural paramedic positions in the northern and southern health regions to be filled later this year.

"Health care begins the moment paramedics arrive at your door," Friesen says. "Hiring more rural and northern paramedics will improve the quality and consistency of care Manitobans receive while reducing the health system’s reliance on on-call staff."

Along with the additional staff, Friesen announced the Province will be replacing 65 ambulances, approximately 1/3 of their fleet.

The provincial standard for emergency medical response is to respond within 30 minutes 90 percent of the time to 90 percent of the population. In 2017-18, 94.11 per cent of EMS calls in rural and northern Manitoba (outside the city of Winnipeg) were responded to within the provincial response time standard, with 58.24 per cent within nine minutes, 15.98 per cent within 15 minutes and 19.89 per cent within 30 minutes.

"Manitobans know the quickest way to access professional, life-saving care when experiencing medical distress is by calling for an ambulance," says Helen Clark, CEO of emergency response services, Shared Health. "Investing in additional paramedic positions across the province enables Shared Health to hire more professional, career paramedics, enhancing our ability to provide Manitobans with reliable, high-quality care as we respond to, treat and transport patients."

The Manitoba government has also reduced ambulance fees in the past three years by approximately 50 per cent to $250.