Shimla
Exploitation of employees of 108 and 102 ambulance services is continuing in Himachal Pradesh. They have not received a salary for the last two months, due to which they are very angry with the government and the National Health Mission. Employees allege that the government and the managing director of the National Health Mission have not paid any attention to their demands; even after pleading several times, no action has been taken.
Expressing anger, the employees said that the state in charge of the ambulance service provider company himself had promised to pay the salary by 25-26 June in front of MD NHM, but till now they have not been given a salary for 2 months. MD NHM also did not take any action in this matter. The state head himself had admitted that both parts of EPF are deducted from the salary of the employees, which is against the laws. On this, MD NHM had ordered that both these parts cannot be deducted from the salary of the employees, but the company is harassing the employees so much that they have been deprived of 2 months’ salary. If any employee talks in the office, the answer he gets is that the money from NHM has not come yet. 108 and 102 ambulance service employees have urged the government to take strict cognizance of this matter and protect the interests of the employees; the tender of the company, which does not have money to pay the employees, should be cancelled immediately.
The condition of ambulances is also bad; many do not have equipment.
The condition of 108-102 ambulances, which are considered life-saving for the people of the state, is also bad; the staff also gets nervous sitting in them. Not only this, but in about 70 percent of the ambulances, more than half of the equipment used in primary treatment is not there and the ones that are there are also lying broken. Even the oximeters in the ambulances are broken, due to which oxygen is also given only by guesswork. In such a situation, due to a lack of medical equipment in life-saving ambulances, patients reach hospitals at the mercy of God, which is an injustice to the facilities provided in the health sector in the state. For this, the union is also preparing to open a front against the company, while social organizations are also coming forward on this issue.
