Meghalaya: Ambulance fleet takeover delayed, new tender in March

Shillong: Meghalaya's plan to revamp ambulance services through a new operator has hit a snag, with the tendering process delayed until March 2024.

Previously, seven agencies had submitted bids to manage the ambulance fleet and associated call centres.

However, concerns about irregularities in some bidder documents necessitated a fresh tender.

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"Complications were found in certain documents during the pre-bid and post-bid stages," explained Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh.

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Seeking legal advice, the department ultimately decided to re-issue the tender.

This delay pushes back the initial target of securing a new provider by December 2023. The state now hopes to finalize the process within the next three months.

Meghalaya's ambulance service, launched in 2009 under a public-private partnership, has been the subject of recent scrutiny.