SHILLONG, Aug 7: Former health minister Alexander Laloo Hek on Sunday asked the state government to ensure that the new firm being roped in to run the 108 emergency services will provide the best services to the people of the state.
He told The Shillong Times it should also be able to take care of the needs and welfare of the employees.
“We have to ensure that the services are not affected by poor management. We also need to ensure that there is no dislocation of the services to the people of the state,” Hek, also the adviser to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, said.
“It is good if we find a new firm that can improve the system. It’s a good thing that the government has floated tender,” he said.
He expressed concern over the disruption of 108 services due to frequent strikes called by the employees and asked the government to make sure such problems do not recur in the future.
Hek said the services have to be outsourced to private parties as it is not possible for the government to run the same on its own.
“The government cannot regularise the services of the employees since they were appointed on contractual basis. It is the responsibility of the firm to take care of them,” he said.
The government floated a fresh tender after serving closure notice on the GVK EMRI.
“The agreement was over long ago but we had extended the services during the COVID. We terminated the GVK’s services last week,” a senior health official had said on Saturday.
He had stated that it would take some time for the closure notice to come into effect.
“Temporary arrangements are being made before we find a new partner,” the official had stated.
He had also said, “We are looking for people interested in working as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and drivers, who form the major chunk of the workforce. We will give preference to those who have already worked with EMRI.”
In an advertisement, the office of the Mission Director of National Health Mission, Meghalaya invited applications from candidates willing to be recruited on a temporary basis for three months.
The temporary jobs include the posts of EMT (paramedics) and driver.
The Meghalaya EMRI Workers’ Union had gone on an indefinite strike on July 18 demanding the regularisation of the services of the workers and the termination of the services with GVK EMRI.
