Govt enforces ESMA to prevent disruptions in ambulance services

Bhubaneswar: The state government has clamped Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on ambulance services to prevent any disruption in the healthcare delivery system.
It will remain in force for six months from Tuesday.
With ESMA coming into effect, any kind of strikes by employees engaged in providing emergency ambulance services, either run by the state government or private agencies in PPP mode, has been prohibited, official sources said.
“In exercise of the power conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 3, 2 of Orissa Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1988 (Orissa Act 9 of 1992), the cessation of work by workers/crew members by medical ambulance services including 108 and 102 has been prohibited,” a notification issued by the special secretary to government Lalit Das said.
The workers or association or any members have also been debarred from unauthorized absence from duty, the sources added.