Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a special allowance for the skilled and unskilled staff of ambulance services.
A press release from the chief minister’s office on Thursday stated that the Emergency Medical Ambulance Service has been a lifeline for the people of Odisha since March 2013. The state government has been acknowledging the extraordinary services rendered by its staff.
“The 108 Ambulance crew including driver, emergency medical technician and helper work very hard in adverse conditions involving difficult working hours. The extraordinary services rendered by them during natural calamities, accidents and COVID pandemic reflect their dedication,” the release said.
Presently, the staff of the 108 Ambulances are paid basic salary as per the Minimum Wages Act. The driver and EMT are classified as skilled workers and the helper as unskilled worker for the purpose of minimum wages.
Recently, the ambulance crew had submitted representations to 5T Chairman VK Pandian during his district visits, for increasing the remuneration, considering the difficult working hours and emergency nature of work.
Considering the emergency service rendered by the 108 Ambulance crew on 24X7 basis and especially during the pandemic/disaster situations, the Chief Minister has approved provision of a special allowance out of state fund for ambulance staff.
Under the new provision, the driver and EMTs of the ambulance will be paid Rs 5,000 per month and helpers Rs 3,000 per month from February. This will be in addition to their existing basic salary.
It may be noted that the 108 Ambulance Service is operational with a fleet of 1366 ambulances including 411 ALS Ambulances and 6 Boat Ambulances in the state at present. The 108 Ambulance fleet provides emergency care and transportation to about 1.3 lakh patients every month.
