the goan I network
PANAJI
Speaking to media persons outside the EMRI office at the Goa Medical College (GMC), union general secretary Prasad Naik said employees including women were being made to work for long hours and demanded cancelling of the ambulance service contract.
“As it is there is a shortage of EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) staff and we are made to work long hours. Five of us had been granted leave to attend a colleague’s wedding but on the last day we were sent messages to report to work,” he said.
Suraj Naik, Head of Operations at EMRI however said it was due to operational requirements that the leaves had to be cancelled.
“As per operational requirement, we sanction leaves immediately, but on that particular day we required them to be back on duty,” said Naik adding that because they had not reported to work, an enquiry was to be conducted.
“We called them to the office for enquiry and for that also they have not turned up. How else do we maintain discipline in the office? According to rules, we call them to office and give them three verbal warnings after which they are given three written warnings and after that a transfer order is issued,” he informed.
As per the MoU signed between the state government and EMRI, 32 ambulances should be on road but Naik admitted to few ambulances.
The ambulance up time is usually 90 percent, he said, but added that the location up time was 85 percent owing to the lack of manpower.
Presently, the service runs 21 ambulances on road with 59 EMT’s and 81 drivers. Of the 12 ambulances that were not working, 6 were to be scrapped and the rest were to be reused depending on Directorate of Health Services requirements.
Meanwhile, Union members have filed a complaint at the Agassaim police Station and plan to take their grievaces to the Labour Commission as well.
