KSRTC comes to rescue of 108 Ambulance service

Mangalore: Men in Khaki are behind the wheels rushing the 108 Ambulances to hospitals to save lives. No, the cops are not driving the ailing patients to the hospitals, instead it is the KSRTC drivers who too don a Khaki doing this noble service as the 108 Ambulances drivers went on strike across the state, leaving the crucial service paralyzed.

The KSRTC drivers took over from Friday night. Nurses from government hospitals have been deputed to the ambulances to provide health service. The same arrangement has been made in Dakshina Kannada district too following the order of the Deputy Commissioner.

The 108 employees have proceeded to stage an indefinite stir at Freedom Park in Bangalore. They have clearly stated that they will be on stir till the Government fulfils their demands and have held the Government responsible for all the inconvenience that the public will face due to their stir.

Some days ago the employees of 108 Ambulance had even intimated DK Deputy Commissioner about their decision. Hence as a temporary arrangement, the KSRTC drivers have been chipped in to see to it that an important service like 108 Ambulance is sustained amidst crisis.

Demands

The employees have kept forth several of their demands before the government and their employer GVK Foundation.

Job security, minimum wage of Rs 15,000, handing over the 108 service to Government, preventing the employees from being exploited by the contract company are some of the demands of the employees of the 108 service.

New experience

Meanwhile, the KSRTC bus drivers who have been given this new responsibility are in a perplexed state.

“I know how to drive a bus, but driving an ambulance is a different experience all together,” says Ashok Rai, a KSRTC bus driver who has been deputed to 108 Ambulance. He says that he reported to duty on Friday night and till Saturday evening he did not receive any call. Late on Saturday evening he shifted one patient to a hospital in Mangalore.

All the 16 Ambulances in DK district have been provided with drivers from KSRTC. District Health Officer (Incharge) Ramakrishna Rao said that everything is going on swiftly and the service is functioning as efficiently as ever.