Abstract
Ambulance paramedics administering emergency care to patients are delivering a health service as defined in the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act, 2003. Paramedics practice a wide range of skills without direct supervision and these can potentially put the public at risk if the paramedic is not competent. Paramedic practice is also rapidly expanding beyond the traditional ambulance role. However, this emerging profession falls outside the Act and paramedics remain unregistered. In this paper we state the case for extending regulation to these frontline healthcare professionals.
