Most ambulance staff back on duty in UP, but trouble not over

Of the total 4720 ambulances in the state, running under 108 and 102 categories, 4,100 are back on the roads. Still, many patients had to wait for long before they could get one to reach the hospital.

LUCKNOW:: Many patients had to face difficulties in reaching the hospital on Saturday, the sixth day of the strike by ambulance staff, even as majority returned to work.

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A family brought a patient from Mohanlalganj to Civil hospital on a goods transport van when they could not find an ambulance.

However, officials of GVK EMRI (that runs the ambulance service in Uttar Pradesh), said most of the ambulance staff was back on duty and those who had not returned to work would be replaced. Vacancies had been opened formally, they said.

Of the total 4720 ambulances in the state, running under 108 and 102 categories, 4,100 are back on the roads to cater to patients. Still, many patients had to wait for long before they could get one to reach the hospital.

“In all, 65% of our 23,000 workforce was back on duty and more are returning to work. We have issued a warning and now we will replace all the workers who have not joined till now, with new recruitments for which we have already advertised,” said TVS Reddy, vice president of the GVK EMRI on Saturday.

“In Lucknow , 72 out of the total 80 ambulances are back on roads. We have advertised vacancies and will start filling posts of staff on strike,” said Reddy. The 108 ambulances are for injured and sick patients and 102 ambulances for delivery cases and new-born kids.

The ambulance staff had started strike on July 26 in apprehension that they would lose their jobs with change in company that would run ambulances with advanced life support system.