Southern Health-Santé Sud, like the other four RHAs in the province, will have to wait and see how many ambulances they'll receive from the province.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen announced this week the province will purchase 65 new emergency vehicles.

Scott Noble is director of emergency services in Southern Health.

He says it's difficult to estimate how many ambulances might be allocated for the RHA since this is an effort to modernize ambulances across the province.

"An analysis is done on the state of the fleet, mileage, the condition of the ambulances which is done closer to the receipt of the new vehicles so that it's as current as possible. Based on that analysis, that's how the distribution of the units is determined," says Noble.

The tender for the purchase has been issued by the province and bids are expected to be submitted from interested manufacturers shortly.

The tender sets out the specifications for the new ambulances, including requirements for construction, materials, and workmanship.

A ride in an ambulance can be a rather bumpy experience, which is probably why the tender for this purchase is asking manufacturers to submit proposals for a suspension system that enhances ride quality.