The ‘108’ ambulances may stay off the roads in several north Indian States on July 11 as their staff plan to observe a one-day token strike.
“If our demands of bringing the employees under the purview of the National Health Mission on the pattern of Haryana is not met, we will be left with no option but to initially observe a one-day token strike,” Jeewan Rakshak Bhartiya Ambulance Karamchari Federation national president Bikramjeet Singh Saini said.
Mr. Saini said: “We had submitted a memorandum to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on June 21 on the issue.”
If Haryana can run ambulances successfully under the NHM, then why not other States, he asked.
Across the States
Mr. Saini said the strike on July 11 would be observed in Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, U.P., Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Himachal. Ambulance employees have already been on strike in Himachal since June 25, he added.
“The union has already served notice to the Punjab government regarding the strike. Such notices will be served in other States by Tuesday,” he added.
Alleging that some contractual companies stood accused of irregularities, Mr. Saini said the Rajasthan government had to cancel a contract after an alleged multi-crore ambulance scam. An FIR was lodged against the CEO of a private company and several State Congress leaders and their kin in the scam, he added. In some other States too, such irregularities have been found, he added.
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