Meghalaya: New tender committee for 108 ambulance services approved

The Meghalaya government approved a new tender committee on May 17, to appoint a firm to handle the 108 emergency ambulance services.

Speaking to reporters, Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “The new tender has been approved and it should be done correctly this time.” She further added that the state will focus on important departments to ensure that the new tender process is smooth.

Earlier, the tendering process was cancelled thrice by the state. The government was urged to not go for a new tender, but to fix a high-powered committee including healthcare officials and experts.

The National Health Mission is currently looking after the ambulance services, however, Ampareen told reporters that NHM is not the correct platform to run it.

Initially, the ambulance services in the state were operated by GVK EMRI and after a closure notice was issued to the firm in August 2022, the government has been trying to appoint a firm to operate the services. 

Further, she added, “I feel bad for the workers. We will see what needs to be done for these workers. However, they would be happy if there was a functional company running EMRI services.”