With 108 ambulance service employees threatening to go on strike from Wednesday night (October 14, 2026), Health Minister U.T. Khader on Tuesday urged the public not to depend solely on the service over the next two months, citing a shortage of operational vehicles and delays in emergency response.

Against a requirement of around 750 ambulances across Karnataka, only 350 to 400 are currently operational, resulting in delays of 45 minutes to an hour in some cases, Mr. Khader said. He advised people to use ambulances available at government hospitals at the taluk level during emergencies.

The government needs time until December to restructure the service and introduce a new fleet through a fresh tender process, he said. The existing fleet had deteriorated since 2018, making a revamp necessary.

“We have requested time until December to completely restructure the system,” Mr. Khader said, pointing out that the government was preparing a new tender policy to bring in ambulances under improved conditions.

Responding to the strike threat, the Minister said the government would not yield to pressure from the agency operating the service or its employees. He clarified that the staff were employees of GVK EMRI, the service operator, and not government employees. “If anything goes wrong or patients are affected, we will take action against GVK EMRI,” he said.

The 108 Ambulance Workers’ Union has cited long-pending demands relating to wages, staffing and workplace safety. In a previous ultimatum, the union had warned of a service shutdown from 8 p.m. on September 22 if its demands were not met. The latest threat is for Wednesday night.

The union is seeking an annual salary increase and pay revision, a uniform pay structure across the State instead of zone-wise wages, and salaries linked to seniority. It has also demanded adequate ambulances to operate in three shifts, rest rooms for staff and changes to shift schedules.

Among its key demands is compensation of ₹50 lakh to the family of an employee killed in an accident while on duty. The union has said the demands have remained unresolved despite repeated appeals to the government.