Saturday, April 21, 2007
** Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District under criminal investigation after paramedic allegedly sexually assaults colleague
** UK EMS system stretched to limit
** Western Australia seeks medics from abroad
UNITED STATES NEWS
** The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is the subject of a criminal probe, after a female employee was allegedly sexually assaulted while on the job. The Monterey Herald (April 19) said the complaint, which reaches back between 2000 and 2003, involves more than 12 firefighters who were disciplined for some action, but not fired. According to the female employee’s complaint, at least one instance saw the woman forced to perform fellatio on a male paramedic and a former department spokesman. Along with police, the state’s EMS Authority office is also investigating.
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** The dwindling number of general practitioners willing to do out of hours house calls is straining EMS resources to the limit. That is the word from The Daily Mail (April 19) which said the draw is being compounded by an overall National Health Service staff shortage of 2,000 medics. Ambulance union spokesman Sam Oestreicher said call volumes have risen by 250,000 per year in England. In addition, Oestreicher said services are being robbed of revenue by the privatization of inter facility patient transport services. British Medical Association GP Committee Chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum denied doctors were taxing the system. Meldrum said doctors continue to make daily house calls.
AUSTRALIA NEWS
** A shortage of experienced paramedics in Western Australia has led recruiters to begin looking abroad. The Western Australian (April 19) said St. John Ambulance is preparing to hire 40 medics from out of country. Australian Medical Association WA branch Professor Geoff Dobb said internal trainng would take four years to produce qualified medics to address the shortage.
