A two-year delay in the Health Department’s audit of funds released by the State government to GVK EMRI, the company that manages the 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulance service in the State, has taken a toll on the company’s 3,500 employees.
Ambulance drivers and technical staff have had to bear with delayed payment of salaries for the last two quarters. Even the fuel for vehicles is being bought on credit from oil companies.
Protesting against the non-payment of salaries and empty fuel cards, drivers went on a snap strike on Friday night. They resumed services on Saturday afternoon only after salaries were paid for the last two months. A source said, “Although the department gets the audit done at the end of every financial year, it has not been done for 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 fiscal.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Finance Department raised objections to this and did not release funds. The audit began 10 days ago,” the source said.
Health Minister U.T. Khader said, “So far, internal auditors from the department were put on the job. But I wanted an external audit to ensure transparency. That is why the audit was delayed.”
They have had to bear with delayed payment of salaries for the last two quarters