Team Herald
PANJIM: Agitated Owners of the Private Ambulance Services (OPAS) called upon the Dean of Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) and demanded to be absorbed in the free hearse van and ambulance services of the government.
St Andre MLA Francisco Silveira who was leading the OPAS operators reiterated that 20 families, which are dependent on the services for their livelihood, will lose their source of income. The private ambulance operators provide transportation services for bodies from the GMC.
He said, “We welcome the step taken by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane to provide free hearse van services to people of the State. But at the same time these people who have been providing the services since 1993 should also be considered as they are locals and their livelihood is dependent on these services.”
Demanding that the private operators be absorbed into the system, he said, “OPAS operators are ready to provide free services under the government service. We are only asking that these 20 hearse vans also be absorbed under the scheme.”
The OPAS members also informed that they have been granted permission by the Directorate of Health Services to provide the services at GMC.
Condemning the statement of the health minister in which referred the private operators as mafia, Silveira informed, “These members are not extorting money or they are not terrorists to be called mafia. They are locals and have been providing services to those in need.”
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Minister rejects demand
Team Herald
PANJIM: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has outright rejected the demand of the private ambulance operators to be absorbed into the free hearse van services system of the government.
Speaking to Herald, Vishwajit informed, “We have enough ambulances functioning under 108 and I don’t need these. They stand there like goons and extract money from the people.”
He further said, “I’ve told the dean not to even put it up before the government because I’m not even going to consider reviewing it.”
Vishawajit informed that the government will provide free hearse van services from GMC, which has already started and in the coming days, services will be provided from the District hospitals in Margao, Mapusa and also from Ponda.
He said, “Every file pertaining to these ambulances will be checked, if they fit into the Public Health Act. If they do not meet those then we will revoke those permits. I will not allow these ambulances to be in GMC or any of the other government hospitals.”
The Health Minister further said that some of these ambulances have registered as taxis and plying as ambulances and the Transport Department will be directed to take appropriate action.
Pointing out at the “gherao” of the dean earlier in the day, he said, “He (Silveira) has used harsh language and threatened with dire consequences. I will direct the dean to file an FIR against Silveira for trespass and preventing a government servant from performing his duty on my return.”
