Learning from PRIME: Rural Emergency Care in New Zealand
- Aug 31
- 1 min read
In rural and remote areas, timely access to advanced medical care can mean the difference between life and death. New Zealand offers a model worth studying as BC works to strengthen its own systems.
PRIME is a partnership between St John New Zealand, local rural GPs and nurses, and the Ministry of Health. It equips rural health professionals with the training, equipment, and support needed to respond alongside ambulance crews to serious medical emergencies. In many cases, PRIME responders are the closest—and often the only—immediate source of advanced care available before transport can be arranged.
This collaborative approach has been transformative. By integrating community-based clinicians into the emergency response system, PRIME extends the reach of critical care into New Zealand’s most isolated communities. Importantly, the program is supported by dedicated training, ongoing professional development, and strong coordination between ambulance services and local providers.
For MRBC, PRIME demonstrates how partnerships, local empowerment, and system integration can reduce inequities in rural health outcomes. As BC considers new models of prehospital and retrieval medicine, PRIME offers a compelling example of how to bring care closer to home—when and where it is needed most.
👉 Read more on St John New Zealand’s recent LinkedIn post.