March 17, 2015
Minister of Health Releases Report into Paramedic Self-regulation
Health Minister Sharon Blady has released the Health Professions Advisory Council’s report on the application made by the Paramedic Association of Manitoba for self-regulation under the Regulated Health Professionals Act (RHPA).
“First responders make a difference in the lives of Manitobans each and every day,” said Minister Blady. “I want to thank the Paramedic Association of Manitoba (PAM) for the hard work they put into this application, as well those who took part in public hearings and wrote letters to the Health Professions Advisory Council.”
Minister Blady noted the council will continue as the independent body to determine whether self-regulation is in the public interest. The report recommends that “…the profession of para-medicine proceed to regulation under the RHPA by a College of Paramedics of Manitoba only after PAM provides the Minister of Health with evidence of a satisfactory level of support among Manitoba paramedics for self-regulation.”
The minister has asked the council to recommend a framework for additional discussions with paramedics and stakeholders, and ultimately make a determination on whether the support needed to establish a regulatory college of paramedics exists. The council will then report back to the minister with the results of the process.
“The chief concern of any regulatory college must be public safety and protection,” said Minister Blady. “The council has kept this responsibility to Manitoba families at the fore throughout this process and I trust they will continue to do so. I’m confident the paramedic profession will see the value of this important work and will participate in the process to build consensus.”
The Health Professions Advisory Council was established in 2011. Its mandate is to provide an independent, impartial forum for a group of persons representing a health profession to apply to become a professional regulatory college under the Regulated Health Professions Act. The release of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba’s application is the first report to be released by the Health Professions Advisory Council.
The report can be viewed online at www.gov.mb.ca/health/rhpa/index.html.
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