Delhi: Workers’ strike brings Centralised Ambulance Trauma Services to a halt

Mangalore Today News Network

Delhi, Nov 04, 2017 : Patients in the city faced a harrowing time after the Centralised Ambulance Trauma Services (CATS) workers went on a strike on Friday, halting 200 of 260 life-saving ambulance services.

 

Intervening in the matter, Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal has called a meeting with the city’s health minister, health secretary, police commissioner, and senior officials of the CATS to discuss the ongoing disruption of ambulance services in Delhi and imposition of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), if required, to restore services.

ESMA is an act which was established to ensure the delivery of certain services, including health services, which if obstructed would affect normal life.

The strike broke out after an ambulance was burnt down on Thursday. An FIR has been registered in the matter.  In a day, the CATS gets at least 1,000 emergency phone calls.

 

LETTER TO DELHI GOVERNMENT

Earlier in the day, the BVG-UKSAS EMS Private Limited Company, which had taken over the CATS services in 2016, finally knocked the doors of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain to take the prompt action against errant anti-social elements inside the CATS administration.

In the letter, BVG wrote that on Thursday, an ambulance with registration no. DL1A2939 had been burnt using a bottle of kerosene which was found at the location of arson. An FIR has been lodged.

A copy of the letter is with Mail Today.

"Since July 3, 2016, the BVG India Ltd, has commenced the CATS operations and we were handed about 600 workers, including pilots (ambulance drivers) and paramedics, on contractual basis. However, these workers were against the outsourcing of CATS operations to private agency as they want to become regular employees of the Delhi government. So such incidents of strikes and damaging ambulances happen often, it is all done intentionally to demean our services," MK Rawat, Head, Operations, BVG, told Mail Today.

He said they repeatedly brought to the notice of CATS senior officials who have "failed to take any action".

"I had a discussion with the health minister, who wants CM and L-G to intervene into the matter."

LS Rana, AO, operation CATS told Mail Today, "We have always tried to sort out all the issues of the CATS union. But our actions get hit when workers threaten to call upon a strike which hampers the ambulances services to the patients."

While the blame game is on between CATS employees and BVG, CATS staff union said the drivers are threatened to run mechanically ill-equipped ambulances on the road, otherwise drivers would be transferred or suspended.

Alleging many faults on the part of the company, a CATS official on the condition of anonymity said: "BVG does not have a labour licence. It has shortage of staff. Quality of engine and other life saving equipment in the ambulance is not of good standard. Ambulances drivers are not paid well and get mentally tortured. There is lot of corruption at the CATS control room administration."



courtesy:India Today