Halting of 108 ambulance service may cost EMRI dear

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 6

The Uttarakhand government may be forced to clip the wings of EMRI, the private partner in running the 108 emergency service, and go for fresh tendering in the coming months after the service of around 58 ambulances was halted due to a shortage of fuel.

Secunderabad-based private partner EMRI was forced to halt the ambulance service in the absence of release of funds from the government. The Uttarakhand Department of Health has not taken kindly to the manner in which the company failed to rise to the occasion and make alternative arrangements for the supply of diesel, halting the ambulance services for several days.

“The private partner has behaved in an irresponsible manner. Under no circumstances should the services be stopped. If it continues to behave in a similar fashion, we will be forced to go for fresh tenders and run the services through new partners,” said a senior bureaucrat.

The fuel issue, the department officials say, could have been sorted out by seeking funds through the District Magistrates or the Chief Medical Officers of the respective districts. “As the funds are being allocated by the Centre through the state budget, there are constraints leading to delays. But the private partner should not blame the government for lack of funds. We will initiate inquiry into the matter,” said Neeraj Kherwal, Director National Health Mission.

On the other hand, EMRI is maintains that the halting of the ambulance service was a coincidence. “In Rudraprayag district the CMO was approached for the payment while in Pithoragarh, the District Magistrate helped us,” said Manish Tinku, state head, EMRI.

EMRI has also earned the wrath of the department for demanding compensation to be made in lieu of Rs 6 crore that it had forked out as TDS, when it started the services in 2008. At the time of signing of the memorandum of undertaking, EMRI had not submitted proper papers claiming exemption.

Meanwhile, with the payment issue having been resolved, most of the stalled ambulances were back on the track.

The private partner EMRI received Rs 9.9 crore out of Rs 11 crore that it was expected to receive as part of the instalment.

Around 12 ‘Khushiyon ki Sawari’ ambulances with drop back facility, too were down and are expected to resume their operations from tomorrow.

Since 2008, the private partner had been receiving Rs 22 crore as budget. The funding for the project has been provided through state resources and the NRHM. The EMRI spends around Rs 1.11 lakh on running one ambulance.