Ambulance services hit hard by statewide strike of drivers

# A 70-year-old man from Bakshi Ka Talab area, who suffered a heart attack, was referred to the Lari Cardiology by the Ram Sagar Mishra Hospital of Sarhamau. At

# A 70-year-old man from Bakshi Ka Talab area, who suffered a heart attack, was referred to the Lari Cardiology by the Ram Sagar Mishra Hospital of Sarhamau. At around 2 pm on Monday, his family started looking for an ambulance but there were none to be found. The family then called for a private ambulance, however, by the time it reached, the patient had passed away.

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# In Barabanki, a family alleged that due to the absence of an ambulance, their pregnant kin, 20-year-old Shalini, could not be shifted from the Haidergarh Community Health Centre to the district hospital in time and as a result, delivered a stillborn child.

# In Jalaun, strike by ambulance drivers allegedly took the life of an elderly woman. Sudama, a resident of Kuthaund area, required an ambulance after her condition suddenly deteriorated in her house. Her husband, Rajaram, said he tried calling the 108 ambulance service but could not get any help. Then they rushed her to the hospital in a private vehicle. But from here she was referred to the district hospital. Once again, an ambulance could not be arranged. Although a private ambulance was arranged, the woman reportedly died on her way to the hospital.

# Durgavati, a native of Maharajganj, came to Lucknow by train for her medical treatment. After reaching the city, she needed an ambulance to get to the Lohia Hospital in Gomti Nagar. However, her family could not arrange one. Such was her condition that her kin had to carry her in a cot -- using it as a stretcher -- to take her to a cab, which ultimately brought her to Gomti Nagar. Her sons Deepu and Rajendra held the cot.

# A woman who was in labour pain and required an ambulance to be shifted from Charbagh railway station to the Jhalkaribai Hospital had to deliver her twins at the station only. She was then shifted to the hospital in a three-wheeler on Monday afternoon. The woman was on her way to Gonda when she got labour pain at the Charbagh station. Her family called the 102 service but could not get an ambulance. The station staff ultimately assisted her in her delivery. Senior divisional commercial manager NR, Jagtosh Shukla, said, “The delivery was assisted at the station and she was hospitalised with the twins.”

Two days after the state government imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on ambulance services -- which forbids them from going on strikes -- a majority of drivers employed with the 108 and 102 helplines across Uttar Pradesh abstained from work on Monday. They, together with other staff members, protested for getting paid pending salaries, reinstatement of some terminated employees, and having fixed work timings of eight hours from their employer GVK EMR, which operates these services in the state.

Under the ESMA, employees connected with these services cannot go on strike and abstain from work.

Despite that from 9 in the morning, drivers gathered in groups in different districts and protested while their leaders met officials of the GVK EMRI at the Lucknow office for the negotiations.

“The impact of protest was felt more in 15 districts. Some impact was felt from 9 am to 5 pm, after which a successful meeting resulted in the strike being called off,” said Rajesh Waghmare, a senior official of the GVK EMRI.

However, patients suffered, as they were unaware about the flash strike. Many said they kept on calling the 108 and 102 services and could not get clear replies from the call centre employees.

“The call centre staff told us nothing about the strike. Neither did they send an ambulance,” said Deepu, who brought his mother Durgavati to Lucknow from Maharajganj in a train. They had to purchase a cot to use it as a stretcher and then hire a cab to bring the patient from Charbagh to the Lohia Hospital in Gomti Nagar.

Meanwhile, GVK EMRI officials accepted that patients might have faced problems but said they were unaware about the deaths.

Former UP chief minister and national president of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, has condemned the state government for the manner in which ESMA was imposed on the ambulance services instead of solving the issues faced by drivers and other staff members.

“The 108 and 102 ambulance services have come to a standstill in many districts. The SP started this service and with the BJP coming to power it (ambulance service) is in bad shape. Even worse is the manner in which the government, instead of solving issues faced by drivers, has imposed ESMA in a dictatorial manner,” said Akhilesh in a press statement.

He further alleged that the state government had lost control over administration and there was no law and order in UP. The Dial 100 service was ineffective and murders had become a routine affair in Uttar Pradesh, said Akhilesh. “There is no one to take a stock of the plight of people suffering due to floods,” he said.

Services paralysed in Prayagraj

Upset over their demands not being met, drivers of 108 and 102 ambulance services as well as the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) went on strike from Sunday night. The services -- comprising 80 ambulances in the district -- came to a halt as drivers reportedly parked the vehicles at the Parade Ground.

On receiving information, chief medical officer, Prayagraj, Dr GS Bajpai, reached Parade Ground on Monday afternoon and tried to pacify the ambulance service staff, appealing them to resume work. However, they refused.

According to Santosh Kumar, an ambulance driver, the government was ignoring their demands, including abolishing 24 hours of service, giving minimum wages as per law, and stopping the transfer of drivers and EMTs to far off places.

“The state president of our union, Hanuman Pandey, is holding talks with senior officers of the health department. After our demands are fulfilled, the strike will be called off,” he said earlier on Monday.

Dr GS Bajpai also said that all efforts were being made to get the emergency services back at the earliest.

Protest in Taj city too

In Agra, about 150 staff members, including drivers and EMTs of the 102 and 108 ambulance services, participated in the strike. As a result, patients struggled to reach hospitals, mostly relying on private vehicles.

There are 70 ambulances under these services in Agra district. Protestors said they got paid paltry salaries despite working for nearly 24 hours. “A driver gets about Rs 8,900 a month and a technician Rs 9,600. Besides, our salaries are not even paid on time,” claimed a protestor working as a driver with the 102 service.

Another protestor, Jitendra Kumar, an EMT in Agra, said, “We were forced to go on this strike, as we had not been given our salary for two months. We also bear the pressure of cases (receiving / dropping patients) from Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres as well as other places.”

Another participant, Harimohan, complained, “They have not hiked our salaries for the past four years. We should at least get a hike.”

Regional Manager of the company that manages the services, Mithilesh Tripathi, claimed, “They are demanding to reappoint those staff members who were suspended due to misbehaviour or other allegations. These people have not given any written statement that they are going on strike and started the protest on their own, which is illegal.”

Tripathi added, “Still, we are in touch with the staff and trying to convince them to return to work. We will also not let patients face any problem.”

Ravi Sisodia, spokesperson for the Private Ambulances Association, pledged their support to the administration and said, “Private ambulances will work and would not disrupt their services. We do not want patients to suffer.”