Ontario paramedics suspended for refusing flu shots

Six paramedics in Kingston, Ont., have been suspended without pay for refusing to accept flu vaccinations.

The County of Frontenac,which operatesambulances in the region, requires allparamedicsto get vaccinated or take the anti-flu drug Tamiflu during an outbreak such as one currently underway at a long-term care facility in the region.

The only exception is for employees who can prove theysuffer an allergic reaction from the vaccine.

The suspended paramedics were unavailable for comment on Monday.

'To say "you can't tell me what do" is not a very good reason when it comes to our professional, ethical responsibility to our patients.' — Dr. Ian Gemmill, Kingston's chief medical officer of health

But their union spokesman Smokey Thomas andthe region's chief medical officer of health Dr. IanGemmill bothsaid thesuspended workersthink the policy is unfair because no other group of health employees are required to take such measures.

The vaccinations are not required by law, but are required by policies covering paramedics in most municipalities, said Gemmill, whoheads theKingston, Frontenac, and Lennoxand Addington public health unit.

"It provides protection. The common side effects are mild and the severe side effects basically are very uncommon," he said. "To say 'you can't tell me what do' is not a very good reason when it comes to our professional, ethical responsibility to our patients."

He added that he wants Ontario to introduce a law making flu shots mandatory for everyone who works in the health care field, even though an attempt several years ago to introduce a similar law targeting paramedics failed due to fierce opposition.

Meanwhile, chief paramedic Paul Charbonneau assured Kingston residents that part-time staff, regular staff on overtime and even managers will fill in for the missing paramedics if needed.

"We want to reassure the public that we're giving the same level of service that we gave before the influenza outbreak."