Hands That Save Lives Beg For a Better Deal

AS Joel Kumar

Deputy Bureau Chief

Sakshi TV

The sound of that life-saving siren is now becoming rarer and rarer and the famed 108 service movements are becoming scarcer and scarcer. The glory of 108 services, launched by the then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, is now history. Today, the GVK EMRI 108 ambulance staff are deeply despondent as they are demoralised thoroughly.

There are 337 services in Telangana and 468 in Andhra Pradesh. Each ambulance has an Emergency Medical Technician and a Pilot or driver. The calls from anywhere in both the Telugu State are received by the Emergency Response Officer, who alerts the nearest ambulance. The ambulances reach the spot, administer the first aid and shift the patient to the nearest hospital. They were meant to be life-savers who quickly enable the patient to access the best possible medicare. For the accident victims, 108 service saved the all-important golden hour.

But the best period of 108 service is behind. "We are slogging for 12 hours everyday and are attending anywhere between five to eight calls. We take the help of the police in case of accident victims, whose identity is not known," says Ravi Kumar, pilot of 108 ambulance located at Kacheguda.

Often, the 108 Ambulance personnel have to attend cases within even when public directly alerts them. Recently, a woman suffered labour pains on the footpath near Kacheguda station, by the time EMT arrived, the woman's condition turned critical and shifting her to a hospital was difficult. So, taking the help of local woman, they helped her deliver a baby before shifting her to a nearby Government Hospital.

"We sometimes conduct delivery procedures in the ambulance. But, this woman's condition was rare and difficult. Still, we had to perform the delivery as people have lot of expectations from us and we have to live up to the expectations,"says Srikanth, the EMT who performed the delivery. The staff are known for their hardwork and sincerity. During accidents, the staff also safekeep the belongings of the victims, including their wallets and valuables. Recently, when Hayatnagar 108 ambulance team shifted two seriously injured employees of a private firm to Osmania hospital, the Emergency Medical Technician Venkatesham handed over Rs 3,70,000 to the employers of injured persons.

The 108 service also helped the foreigners on several occasion. "It gives immense pleasure to serve foreigners and will accolades from them, " says Langur Houz-based Mohd Asad Pasha, a 108 ambulance pilot who shifted a foreigner named David to a hospital.

The 108 ambulances and their staff are monitored by three tiers of administration. At the district level, Emergency Management Executives manage the affairs while programme officers monitor two to three districts. The regional officers control the affairs at the regional affairs. While the officers of the first two levels ensure smooth movement of ambulances. At the regional level quarterly review meetings would be conducted and best workers would be rewarded.

"For every three months there would be review meeting for the ambulance staff in a phased manner. Based on their work they will be asked to improve if any shotcoming and if any team has done good in saving fuel and saving lives in critical situations, they would be rewarded", says Khalid, Telangana regional manager.

In order to reach out to the general public more effectively, 108 app is being planned by the GVK EMRI. "If general public dials 108 through 108 app, the call centre Emergency Response Officer will be able to guide the patient more accurately to the nearest specialist doctor or hospital", says Brahmanada Rao, 108 head of operations, Telangana state.

The 108 staff have to put up with pranksters making crank calls and cause waste of time. Sometimes, even children make prank calls.

"Prank and nuisance calls are a menace to us. In our shift, we get 400 to get 500 calls. At least a half of them are prank calls. The people should realise that 108 should be called only in a serious emergency", says Priyanka Reddy, an Emergency Response Officer.

Another big issue is salary. Pay hikes are a thing of past. "Our salaries range beween Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000. Our salaries are not being hiked in proportion to the price rise," says emergency medical technician Nagendra.

In AP, most ambulances are old. This will affect the travel time and our emergency responses are delayed. Our service can be perfect only when our vehicles are properly maintained," says Phani Kumar, a 108 pilot from Anantapur.

The 108 ambulance service in Andhra state is running under the legal binding, which is antithetical to the core principles of 108. "In the tender process the emergency care was alloted to other company by the Andhra Government. But 108 service has challenged the eligibility criteria of the said company that bagged the tender. As a result court, gave a stay order. The service is running under the provisions of the stay,"says Anjaneyulu, Andhra head of operations.

The emergency service has caught the imagination of the people and has now spread to 17 states and neighbouring Sri Lanka. In Gujarat, 108 service is running boat services in the coastline.

In AP, 108 have done yeoman service ranging from rescuing children trapped in open borewells to shifting those injured in bomb blasts to the tribals hit by viral afflictions. They have even saved the lives of the VIPs.

Despite all these, the employees are facing problems. Isn't it high time that the Government should come to their rescue and provide succour?