Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 16: A whopping 618 employees of the 108 helpline in 13 districts of the state Thursday went on an indefinite strike hitting the operations of 206 ambulances and crippling the public health system in the state.
The indefinite strike has been called to highlight the 10-point charter of demands of the ambulance workers. The demands include security of employees, hike in salaries, provision of facilities such as those given to government employees and better working conditions.
The districts that were most affected by the strike initially include Sambalpur, Bolangir, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Cuttack. The strike was called off by the workers in Khurda late in the evening.
The state government Thursday took some measures in an effort to ensure that emergency services are not crippled by the strike.
“We are working to help the needy in this situation. We have already informed all collectors to look into the matter and act promptly. We have also been trying to look for alternative vehicles to ensure emergency services do not get affected by the strike,” National Health Mission (Orissa), director Roopa Mishra.
However, Mishra said that
the government faces obstacles in resolving the matter as the workers have been employed through a private agency.
“We have been badly affected by the apathy of our employers and want our demands to be heard by the authorities concerned. We want our salary to be paid regularly by the seventh of every month. We are also demanding a hike in our salary as it is not realistic in view of the rising commodity prices. We feel neglected despite handling critical situations as our basic demand are not being met,” said Naresh Mohanty, a helper in one of the 108 ambulances.
In a late night development, officials of the health department claimed that talks with the workers were underway and out of the 14 districts where the services were affected in the day, nine have been persuaded to call off their strike.
