Ambulance drivers survive hand to mouth

With meagre salaries and no benefits, rescue staff at welfare institutions struggle to run their households

KARACHI:

Although each job brings with it some level of stress, nothing can compare to the rush of adrenaline and cortisol which accompanies the regular duties of an ambulance driver always on alert to save lives. Yet, despite the highly exhausting nature of their work, the driving staff at rescue institutions rarely have enough money in their pockets to save the lives and secure the futures of their own loved ones.

Imtiaz Alam, an ambulance driver working for the rescue service booth at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, revealed that he lived in a small rented house with his wife and child in Orangi Town. "Due to lack of education, I could not find a better job. During our duty we face severe mental pressure yet we persist in our spirit to alleviate the suffering of people. However, we are not offered any medical insurance to help us in our own times of need," lamented Alam, who earns only Rs20,000 a month.

Similarly, Muhammad Usman, an ambulance driver at a major Lyari-based welfare organization, revealed that he had only Rs22,000 a month to support his wife and four children. "We have to drive the ambulance at a high speed to save the lives of the injured without caring about our own safety amidst heavy traffic. We work for 12 hours a day and since our duty concerns emergencies, we have no final call-off time," said Usman, who felt that despite living in a joint family, his wife and children had a hard time surviving on his low income.

According to Muhammad Imran, the rescue service in-charge at a welfare organization located in Gulshan Iqbal, welfare organizations run on donations therefore they do not have a service structure and pay scale and are paying their drivers Rs18,000 to Rs25,000, which is insufficient in this era of inflation.

"There are more than 2,000 ambulances used in emergencies within Karachi while 100 others are used for intercity transport of dead bodies. There are no charges of the ambulance service operated by welfare institutions for rescuing the injured however, those who call an ambulance at home in an emergency will pay service charges between Rs600 to Rs1,200 and more," said Iqbal.

As per data obtained from Chhipa officials, nearly 500 ambulances and 1,000 drivers are associated with the organization in Karachi. "Our institution runs on Zakat and donations from philanthropists and the public. We try our best to take care of our employees, especially drivers by paying them decent salaries," claimed an official from Chhipa.

"Edhi has more than 600 ambulances and 1200 drivers in Karachi who play their role in transporting patients and injured people to hospitals. Our organization tries to provide maximum services to people in emergency," said an official from Edhi.

Nasir Mansoor, leader of the National Trade Union Federation, confirmed that the salaries of ambulance drivers across the city, whether at welfare organizations or other private organizations, were fairly low. "Hence, these drivers are facing a lot of economic problems. They should receive a salary of at least Rs50,000 per month alongside medical insurance," opined Mansoor.

Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister, Waqar Mehdi claimed that the Government of Sindh had fixed the salary of workers at Rs37,000. "Our aim is to ensure that the working class is guaranteed all the facilities. For this, all institutions should implement the government's decision on minimum salary. We will take all possible measures in this regard," said Mehdi.