Most often people say that emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and
fire engines, would move on designated lane without losing time in foreign
countries. Chennai, like any other
Indian city lacks road width and most roads are congested allowing no place to
move. When we hear the siren of an
ambulance, we should always move to the left and come to a complete stop. Stop and do not move till the ambulance finds
it was and surges through, irrespective of honking vehicles and overtaking
vehicles. At signal, if ambulance asks
for way from behind, move front, move to left and stop……………and never tailgate
an ambulance – it is no heroism, rank foolishness and idiotic.
The Hindu reports that on the festival Deepavali day, the ‘108’
emergency services may not be available. Members of the 108 Ambulance Workers
Union in Tamil Nadu have said they plan to go on a State-wide strike for 24
hours, from 8 p.m. on October 21 to 8 p.m. on October 22, demanding a bonus. A
notice to this effect was sent by the union to the management on October 7,
union members said. It is stated that EMRI 108 has been in Tamil Nadu for six
years now, since 2008 and in that time they have not received a single
Deepavali bonus. In Jan this year, they
declared to go on 1 day strike which was eventually called off. There are a total of 3,300 emergency
management technicians, pilots (ambulance drivers) and call center employees in
the State, and they threaten to go on strike as a last resort.
Hopefully
things are sorted out amicably and they function with usual efficiency,
especially on Deepavali day – when some mishaps do occur.
Away in UK, members of the armed forces had to step in, as more
than 400,000 NHS staff staged their first walk out in more than 30 years,
mounting picket lines outside hospitals. Fewer than half those balloted for the
controversial health strike voted in favour of the action - the first since
1982 - the Daily Mail revealed. Yet 400,000 nurses, midwives, paramedics,
specialist health staff and hospital porters and cleaners staged the walk out
from 7am for four hours. Military had to step in.
Hundreds of thousands of
health workers are set to bring the NHS to a halt by walking out in a row over
pay. Picket lines were mounted outside hospitals across England, including the
Royal Berkshire,from 7am on 12.10.14 and they are set to stay in place for four
hours. They will take other forms of industrial action, in the form of
work-to-rule, for the rest of the week, including ensuring staff take their
allotted breaks.
Soldiers and police officers
were called in to drive ambulances, taking the place of trained staff. The move
sparked a row as unions claimed they had been kept in the dark about the plans.
The strike was in protest at the Government's decision not to accept a
recommended one per cent pay rise for all NHS staff. The Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is quoted as
saying that if the pay rise was implemented in addition to an automatic three
per cent pay rise for most NHS staff each year, hospitals would be forced to
lay off more than 14,000 nurses by next year.
Midwives, nurses and other health workers mounted a noisy protest
outside St Thomas' hospital opposite Parliament in Westminster. Most passing
cars, buses and lorries tooted in support and patients arriving for
appointments said they backed the action. 'It's weird being on strike, but we
feel that enough is enough.' - stated
midwives. The last time NHS staff walked
out in a row over pay was 32 years ago. The three-day strike in 1982 rocked the health service, under Margaret
Thatcher. The present strike by members
of the Royal College of Midwives, marks the first walk out midwives and support
staff since the union was founded during Queen Victoria's reign in 1882.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
14th Oct 2014.
