Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ensure uninterrupted emergency ambulance service for public, the state government has promulgated ESMA to prohibit strikes by personnel engaged in providing 108/102 ambulance actservice.
The home department Monday issued a notification saying the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) would remain in force for a six months beginning August 1.
“State government has satisfied that in the interest of public, it is necessary to prohibit strikes in the form of cessation of work by workers engaged in emergency medical ambulance service run by the government either by itself or through an agency engaged for this purpose, so that health care delivery system in the state is not affected/disrupted,” the notification said.
As drivers, attendants and technicians of emergency ambulance services very often go on strike demanding pay hike, annual increments in salary and other benefits, the provision will prevent them from hampering the emergency services, official sources said.
Ambulance service has been outsourced to Ziqitza Health Care Ltd (ZHCL), which is responsible for recruiting and engaging staff in the service. Each ambulance is manned by one emergency medical technician (EMT), one driver and one attendant, the sources said.
In March last year, the government had imposed ESMA on ambulance services for six months.
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