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Manitoba's Progressive Conservatives are ringing the alarm over a shortage of paramedics in western Manitoba.

They say it’s reached a crisis point in several communities, adding Virden has just 9 of 17 paramedic positions filled, Erickson with two out of four spots, Shoal Lake at one out of 13, and Russell with 5 out of 13 paramedic spots filled.

They add only 7 of 30 emergency rooms within Prairie Mountain Health were operating at full capacity and were open 24/7 during the month of December.

PC Health Critic Kathleen Cook is accusing the NDP government of abandoning rural Manitobans.

One solution, they say, would be to reinstate a rural paramedic training program that was previously offered in Brandon.

The PC Caucus is also calling on the provincial government to take immediate action, including providing accommodations to paramedics in Shoal Lake in order to make the area more attractive and help alleviate the understaffing at the EMS station.