Drivers of 108 ambulances complain that they have had to work for longer hours due to shortage of staff.
M. Irulandi, a member of the ‘108’ Ambulances Employees’ Welfare Association, said that though five new ambulances were launched, three vehicles are still stationed on the ground and only two are functional.
“Areas like Thoppur, Chittampatti and Kallandiri are being taken care of by ambulance drivers in and around the area. Apart from cases on our regular beats, we have to take care of the rest and be on call always. Although our shifts are only 12 hours long, we end up working 24 hours,” he said.
He said that two bike ambulance services slated for Madurai were also not functional.
An ambulance driver, who did not want to be named, said that the stretch between Oomachikulam and Kadavur was being looked after by just one driver, operating on shift bases. “As a result only one ambulance is being operated on the stretch for 15 days a month for the last six months. In case of emergencies, ambulances from Pudur are being asked to cater to those calling in from the Natham stretch. The lack of staff is affecting our daily routine,” he said. He said that there were no ambulances in Thumbaipatti area too.
Project Manager, 108 ambulance services for Madurai, Theni and Dindigul region, V. Vimal Raj said that two of the five recently launched ambulance vehicles were functional in Thoddapanayakanur and Vikramangalam. “The other three will be launched next week as soon as we get recruits posted to this region. Each team needs at least six people,” he said.
He said that the stretch between Kadavur and Oomachikulam only sees an average of 70 cases each day whereas there are between 180 and 190 cases each day in the city. “We are trying to find which areas have higher case load to ensure that we can have the new 108 ambulances stationed there”, he said.
