Monday, January 14, 2008

** Winnipeg to study ways to ease medic delays at ERs

** Report claims medics not called to attend stricken Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto

CANADA NEWS

** A Winnipeg city council committee says it intends to study ways to return medics to the streets faster after delivering patients to hospitals. The Winnipeg Free Press (Bruce Owen/January 13) quoted Protection and Community Services Committee chair Gord Steeves as saying the look-see will examine whether it is necessary to have EMS workers stay with patients while waiting for ER treatment. Steeves made his comments as news broke that changes are afoot for the city’s police service.

PAKISTAN NEWS

** New reports being touted by the Pakistani media seem to suggest Rawalpindi EMS personnel may not have been called at all to attend on mortally wounded presidential hopeful Benazir Bhutto last month. The Buffalo News (January 13) said People’s Party pundits and supporters are now raising questions as to why no ambulance materialized at the scene and why it took 25 minutes to transport the stricken leader to a hospital located only two miles away from the assassination scene. The mystery is only deepending an already murky cloud surrounding Bhutto’s demise. So far, no official cause of death has been agreed upon. Although those closest to her claim she was shot, a Pakistani government spokesman claims a suicide bomber blast forced her head against a sunroof lever, causing a fatal blunt force trauma injury.