Province provides one-time fuel subsidy for ambulance operators

With inflation and fuel costs putting the squeeze on everyone, the Government of Saskatchewan is providing a one-time subsidy to help emergency medical service providers pay for fuel.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health announced the one-time payment of $2.85 million to ambulance operators in Saskatchewan, as well as $218,000 to northern medical taxi providers.

Everett Hindley, Saskatchewan’s minister of rural and remote health, said the services are absolutely essential, particularly in the northern and more remote parts of the province.

“Reliable, sustainable EMS and NMT services are a critical component of our Saskatchewan health-care system, particularly in our rural and remote communities,” Hindley said in a statement.

“We recognize the impact rising costs have had on our EMS and NMT partners and we are pleased to be able to provide them further assistance.”

According to the ministry, there are 105 ground ambulance services operating in 108 communities around the province. Some are owned by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, while others are private or run by non-profits or First Nations.

In 2021-22, ambulance operators fielded more than 171,000 calls and logged more than 13 million kilometres of travel, the government said, while Northern Medical Taxi provided 2,709 trips over 1.5 million kilometres.