Emergency healthcare services were badly hit across the State on Tuesday due to a strike by 108 ambulance staffs. Employees of 108 ambulance services embarked on the agitation protesting the arrest of 108 Ambulance Staff Union president Manoj Sahu.
The employees of 26 ambulances parked their vehicles near the Cuttack Collectorate and all the 183 employees submitted their mass resignation letter to the district Collector.
Sahu was arrested on Sunday following an atrocity case filed by 108 ambulance operations in western Odisha chief Dhaneswar Tirkey.
Earlier on August 9, Sahu and Tirkey had a heated argument during a meeting in Balangir on various issues, including pay hike. later on August 10, Tirkey lodged a complaint under the SC, ST Atrocities Act against Sahu, said sources.
The 108 ambulance staff of Balangir district had also parked 17 ambulances in front of district Collectorate on Monday in protest of Sahu’s arrest. They had also handed over the keys of the ambulances to the authorities. Following this the 108 ambulance staff of other districts also followed suit and also tendered their mass resignation to the concerned authorities.