Ambulance drivers, EMTs to strike over long work hours, lack of offs

Gurugram Ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working with the district health department have threatened to strike against long working hours,

Gurugram Ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working with the district health department have threatened to strike against long working hours, lack of weekly offs and the delay in salary arrears payments.

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They said a circular issued by the Haryana government earlier this month mandates them to work 12-hour shifts, without providing for even a single off. The long working hours often leave them both physically and mentally exhausted and are an impediment to their work, which requires them to be alert, they added.

“As per the new roster, shifts are allotted from 8am and 8pm for 12 hours. If a driver or an EMT has an 8pm shift on a day, the next day’s shift can either be at 8am again or at 8pm. Two weekly offs that were allotted to us earlier have been done away with in April,” said Dalbir, who has been driving an ambulance for the last 11 years and does around four trips between Gurugram and Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital or AIIMS.

“We have to be alert all the time and no proper rest can be a detriment to the patients’ lives,” he said.

The staff, hired under the National Health Mission (NHM), said they had, in a meeting with NHM officials, Haryana, on November 22, asked that the circular be taken back.

“The officials had said it would be revoked by Wednesday evening. However, no intimation was received on Wednesday. We will be waiting till 11am on Thursday for an update. If the circular is not revoked, NHM staff in all districts will be protesting at Civil Hospitals and submitting a letter to district civil surgeons,” said Rehan Raja, state NHM workers’ president.

However, the protest won’t affect ambulance services, said staff, adding that only those who have a night shift will be present in the day.

Amneet Kumar, mission director, NHM, Haryana, said on Wednesday, “I will get the matter examined and the matter of the circular checked. The circular might be for all districts in the state and not just Gurugram.”

Dr Jaswant Singh Punia, civil surgeon, Gurugram, didn’t respond to calls for comment.

Drivers also said that their shifts often extends beyond 12 hours, but no overtime allowance is paid. “During evening and night, the ambulance gets stuck in traffic, particularly at the Delhi-Gurugram border. This leads to a delay of around two hours. Sometimes, we also get a last-minute call for a patient and have to take that,” said Ved, another driver.

He added that they are legally mandated to work eight hours a day and be paid an overtime wage for additional hours. “We used to get around ₹2,000 as overtime wages, monthly, until two years ago. That has been done away with,” he said.

The district health department currently has 18 ambulances stationed at 10 different locations — Farrukhnagar, Pataudi, Civil Hospitals in Civil Lines and Sector 10, among others. Each ambulance has one driver and one EMT.

Gurugram, with a population of more than 25 lakh, has fewer ambulances than recommended, as per the World Health Organization’s criteria of ambulances, according to which there should be, at least, one ambulance for one lakh people.

The number of ambulances is also disproportionate to the number of referrals from the district hospital, which is high. In 2017, a total of 3,904 patients were referred by the hospital to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, as per health department data. As a result, ambulance deliveries in the district are common, the drivers said.

“EMTs have to administer critical life support. It’s almost like the work of a doctor and if one is fatigued, it could lead to complications,” said Parveen Pawar, an EMT for almost six years. He said he doesn’t get to visit his family in Sonepat due to the work hours.

Employees also said that they haven’t received salary arrears since May this year. “The arrears amount to around ₹1,500 per month and most months, we haven’t received the amount,” said Ved.