Taking serious note of viral audio clips on social media which showed the negligence of employees to provide ambulance on the emergency call, the Health & Family Welfare Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu today issued the order to suspend 2 Emergency Response Officers and 1 Cluster Leader for dereliction in their duty.The Minister said that it was brought into his notice that someone had made the call at Dial 108 ambulance and asked to provide the ambulance in the hospital so that injured patient in the accident would refer to the district hospital for further treatment. He said that instead of providing ambulance to the hospital, Emergency Response Officers (E.R.O) repeatedly asked for IPR and refer number from the caller and staff of the hospital. Even after refer number given by the staff, they denied to send any ambulance to the hospital. He said that after going through the details of incident, he immediately suspended the 2 EROs & 1 Cluster Leader deputed in headquarter of Dial 108 Ambulance at Amritsar and further investigation is under process.
Balbir Singh Sidhu further said that he had also given the directions to the Director Punjab Health System Corporation to change protocol in which priority must be given to emergency cases such as road side trauma, neonatal paediatric emergency, maternal emergency etc. He said that State Government was providing Emergency Response Services in the State of Punjab free of cost to all the citizens in the State. He added that instructions had already been issued to authorities to make sure that ambulances services for the emergency cases reach the place in 20 minutes in urban areas and in 30 minutes in rural areas. He said that Ambulances were being monitored through GPRS for deployment to the site. He said that the Control Station consisting of Data Centre and Call Centre had also been set up in Amritsar. Presently there are 242 Ambulances in the State. The Minister said that services of ambulances are provided 24 hours through Emergency Response Centre in three shifts. Services of the ambulances can be availed from anywhere in the State of Punjab by dialling 108 from Landline or Mobile phone. He said that these Ambulances shift the trauma cases and other emergency in the designated earmarked health institutions. Ambulances are equipped with emergency medical equipments.