Uttar Pradesh: No help from Yogi govt, claims ambulance association, staff halts work over safety gear, pay

The association of ambulance employees in Uttar Pradesh have been reportedly seen halting work over non- payment of salaries and lack of safety equipments, a report in NDTV said.

NDTV quoted the association of ambulance employee as saying, they are stopping work from Tuesday afternoon over non-payment of salaries for two months and lack of protective gear for them despite being on the front-line in the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic.

A private company GVK under contract with the state government, manages and operates 102 and 108 emergency ambulance services in UP.

There are a total of about 4,500 such ambulances deployed across the state, according to the Ambulance Employees' Association. The association says 17,000 workers - drivers and emergency technicians - are posted to these ambulance. These employees are on contract with the private firm, the reported suggested.

According to NDTV, a letter written by the association to the private company says all ambulance operators will stop work and go home starting this afternoon if their demands for better safety equipment and the release of salaries are not met.

"We need safety equipment like what doctors are getting," the letter says. There has been no response from GVK on the issue so far; calls to a top functionary in the company went unanswered.

"We do not have sanitisers, gloves or proper masks. This mask you see on me, 15 pieces have been distributed for each ambulance but we don't know when we will get new ones. You cannot wear this mask more than 2 hours. We have not received salaries for two months. When we go to fill oxygen, people don't allow us inside. We told the local chief medical officer to arrange better supplies but got no response. Our vehicles have not been sanatised either," said Madhukar Singh, an ambulance driver based in the state's Pratapgarh district.

The ambulance association claims the Yogi government has said the state government cannot provide help in this matter and negotiate salary issues directly with the private company.