3-4 firms show interest to operate 108 service

SHILLONG, Oct 25: It has been more than three months that the GVK EMRI, which operated emergency ambulance service in Meghalaya, closed its shop and the state government is unlikely to get another firm to run the service in the next two months.
A government official said tender has been floated to engage a new firm and it will be closed in 45-50 days. He also said that three-four firms have shown interest to operate the service.
Presently, the state government is running the 108 ambulance service.
On August 3, the government had issued the closure notice to GVK EMRI. It operated some 54 ambulances and the last day of its operation was July 17.
The firm co-terminated the services of some 300 employees. Seventeen office staff were given the option of transfer to Assam and West Bengal. Ten of them accepted it.
The GVK EMRI was running an integrated service where it monitored each and every case real time.
During the 13 years of its operation in the state, it attended to more than three lakh emergency cases, saved over 30,000 lives and assisted in 2,500 plus births.
On an average, it handled 50 cases a day across the state.