By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 29: Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Monday said the state government will no longer be able to run the emergency ambulance service on its own.
After a meeting with the employees of 108 ambulance service at the conference room of the Main Secretariat, Lyngdoh told reporters that she told them the government will hand over the responsibility to a firm which has got the necessary expertise to run the service in a professional manner.
She said she understands the feelings of the employees who felt more secure after the National Health Mission (NHM) was entrusted to run the service.
The Minister said the government will ensure that the firm, which will run the ambulance service, provides the 108 employees with various benefits, including casual leave and special leave, which they deserve.
She said the government will try to speed up the process of floating tender to run the emergency service at the earliest. “We will try to complete the tendering process within the next three to four months,” Lyngdoh said.
Meanwhile, 108 emergency service president Roypar Raswai said they are disappointed that the meeting had no positive outcome.
“We expected that the government would resolve the matter at the earliest. But it remains unresolved even after one and half years since the NHM took over to run the ambulance service,” he said. Raswai said the government should not have any problem in running the service on its own. He pointed out that the NHM had run it smoothly.
“We have seen the fate of the tender which was floated. We would urge the government not to float a fresh tender since the outcome will be the same as none of the private firms will be able to run the ambulance service satisfactorily,” Raswai said.
He said they want the government to run the service on its own.
“The government should form an emergency cell to run this service,” he suggested.
He said the employees are currently getting only fixed pay from the NHM and they are not covered under provident fund or any health insurance scheme which they deserve.
The Health Minister will meet the 108 employees again next week.
