In a significant display of resilience, the Mrityunjoy 108 emergency ambulance services in Assam successfully navigated a period of intense staff unrest to handle a major surge in emergency cases between December 2024 and January 2025. The service remained fully operational across the state, even achieving its highest daily patient count in two years, despite facing non-cooperation and absenteeism from a section of its workforce.
Navigating Crisis: Unrest and Record-Breaking Performance
The period was marked by agitation from some emergency medical technicians (EMTs), pilots, and emergency response officers (EROs). Their primary grievances included long-pending demands such as the regularization of jobs, fair wages, and the payment of overtime dues accumulated over several years. This led to instances of non-cooperation and absenteeism, posing a severe threat to the critical emergency service.
However, through swift and strategic intervention, the service not only stayed afloat but excelled. In December 2024 alone, the 108 fleet attended to a staggering 23,631 emergency cases across Assam. The service peaked on December 31, attending to 1,399 patients in a single day. This daily figure is the highest recorded in the past two years and notably surpasses the previous year's average of 1,047 cases per day.
Swift Recruitment and Improved Efficiency
The management's strategy to counter the disruption hinged on rapid recruitment and training. With the backing of district administrations and health authorities, local youths were brought in, trained, and deployed to fill the gaps. This move ensured uninterrupted service for the public during a critical time.
Dhurjyoti Prasad Bhattacharya, spokesperson for the emergency response services, highlighted this effort. "Thanks to the newly hired personnel. We have currently over 1,300 contractual workers now, who have been trained, and are now working," he stated. This infusion of new staff also had a positive impact on operational efficiency. The average response time for ambulances improved, dropping from seven minutes and six seconds to six minutes and two seconds.
Management's Stance and the Path Forward
The organization has firmly refuted the allegations made by the agitating former employees, labeling them as "false and misleading" and baseless. Bhattacharya outlined the management's position and forward-looking steps.
"A clear deadline of December 30, 2025, was given to non-terminated employees to resume duty, to which many have positively responded and resumed work. Further, the management has also commenced mass onboarding of manpower from January 2, 2026, to strengthen operations and ensure uninterrupted emergency services to the public," he explained. This indicates a dual approach of offering a return path for some existing staff while simultaneously building a larger, robust workforce to future-proof the essential service.
The episode underscores the critical importance of Assam's 108 ambulance service and its ability to adapt under pressure, ensuring that life-saving emergency medical response remains available to citizens even during internal challenges.
