An app that promises Kolkatans ambulances of various types just like they book a taxi now was launched in the city on Tuesday.
AmbiPalm, the app developed by a Hyderabad-headquartered ambulance aggregator, can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Those looking for an ambulance have to type the destination. The app will show a price for the service.Agreeing to the price will allow one to book the ambulance.
“We have tied up with 80 ambulance providers in Bengal. We have a fleet of 1,200 ambulances that can be booked using the app AmbiPalm,” said Leonard Jackson, the CEO of AmbiPalm Health, a start-up that developed the app that was launched in October 2020.
Three types of ambulances will be available for hiring — basic life support, advanced life support and patient transport services.Once someone types a destination, ambulances in the network that are located close to the person’s location will be notified. Those having problems using the app can also call a toll free number 1800 270-911911.
Kolkata has a dearth of well-equipped ambulances, said a senior official of a private hospital in the city. Most ambulances are merely cars with an oxygen cylinder. “The company that launched the app should conduct some quality check. If they are able to increase the numbers of well-equipped ambulances, it would do a lot of good to patients.”
Jackson said they had a quality check team that chose an ambulance provider as partner only if it met the standards.
The start-up has another Kolkata connection. Two of its founders are a couple who were raised in the city. Jackson went to Assembly of God Church and St Xaviers’ College. His wife, Doris Pradhan, was schooled at Pratt Memorial and then graduated from St Xaviers’ College.