January 14, 2025
📰 FEATURE STORY
Is Blinkit’s 10-minute ambulance service the next step in emergency healthcare?
India’s quick commerce landscape is rapidly evolving. We’re now accustomed to the 10-minute delivery times promised by various platforms. While it started with essential items and groceries, it has now expanded to everything from clothes to gadgets. The next big thing seems to be healthcare.
Blinkit announced the launch of its “ambulance in 10 minutes” service. The first five ambulances were launched in Gurugram. It hopes to expand this service to other cities. Soon, people can book a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance through the Blinkit app. Is this the next frontier in emergency healthcare, or is this a sign of state failures?
Context
In urban India, ambulance sirens and lights have become part of daily life. It’s probably the only time drivers are willing to yield. Given the rise of chronic diseases and road accidents, demand for emergency services and hospitalisation has increased. They’re now easier to get than ever.
That wasn’t always the case. Ambulances were once only available at hospitals. In the 1980s, NGOs provided voluntary and free ambulance services. Things have improved and evolved, with several state governments introducing ambulance services for women and children under five years old. Take the National Rural Health Mission, for example. Ambulances were introduced through a public-private partnership model.
The Indian ambulance market was valued at $1.5 billion in 2022. A report stated that the focus is mainly on patient transfer rather than emergency care. This was evident during the height of the pandemic. People were being transported in personal vehicles and auto-rickshaws. India’s ambulance service infrastructure was in dire need of reform.
That remains elusive. Per international standards, there should be one ambulance per 50,000 people in low and middle-income countries. However, annual registrations of ambulances post-pandemic have been down. Additionally, ambulance services are hindered by maintenance issues and ageing vehicles.
To bridge the gaps, the public-private partnership model is being seen as a solution. Tamil Nadu adopted this, and it led to an increase in the availability of ambulances in the state.
Private ambulance services have been introduced by corporate hospitals and companies that have invested in providing this service. Blinkit is the most recent case. CEO Albinder Dhindsa announced the launch in Gurugram, where people can book a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance. He stated that profit wasn’t the goal, and the aim was to expand to major cities in the next two years.
Each ambulance will have a paramedic, an assistant and a trained driver. The equipment on board includes oxygen cylinders, an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a stretcher, a monitor, a suction machine, and essential emergency medicines and injections. The introductory price was ₹2,000.
Is this the next frontier of emergency care in India? Should we be happy that private companies are offering this service? Shouldn’t this be the job of the government?
VIEW: A necessary and timely service
Blinkit, owned by Zomato, is no stranger to the quick commerce game. They’re known for revolutionising the sector with ultra-fast deliveries. While it’s becoming increasingly crowded, the company’s agility and operational efficiency give it an edge. Broadly speaking, analysts are confident the company won’t lose market share to Zepto or Swiggy’s Instamart. It’s a natural move for Blinkit as others in this space are moving beyond groceries. Healthcare is seen as the next big pie.
However, ambulance services are something else where the stakes are high. They’re literally the difference between life and death. More often than not, it’s sadly the latter, given the current state of emergency healthcare services. According to the National Health Mission (NHM), India had only 17,495 operational basic life support (BLS) ambulances until December 2023. That number is only 3,441 for ambulances with advanced life support (ALS).
The government’s National Ambulance Services (NAS) under the NHM won’t be able to cover most people. The existing regional imbalances and deficiencies won’t be fully covered by the NAS. Blinkit has rightly banked on the sector’s potential. The ambulance service sector is poised to grow by 5% in the 2024-2028 period. The fact is that India needs more ambulances. Companies like Blinkit can help fill the gaps by leveraging their operational efficiency and finances.
COUNTERVIEW: Need to be sceptical
The fact is that India’s healthcare system is a story of inequality and exploitation. The entry of a private company to fill the gaps should be viewed with scepticism. It points to systematic government failures over the years. Despite various policies and initiatives, out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure remains high for the majority. Ambulances are integral to public healthcare infrastructure and should be accessible to all. Privatisation might not be the answer. If services run for profit and financial returns, despite what companies say, the focus shifts away from what people need.
Blinkit isn’t the first to offer this service. You might not have heard of the others because they’re too small or have closed down. Of the 29 startups launched, nine have closed. The sector raised only $4.07 million in equity funding in the past five years. In emergency healthcare, it’s not only about speed. The focus should be on survival rates and treatment initiation times. The economics are different from delivering groceries. Ambulance services are low-frequency, high-stakes operations with small margins.
Blinkit’s offering is well-intentioned, but how feasible is it? A “10-minute ambulance service” isn’t like delivering a pizza in 30 minutes, especially given how congested India’s roads are. How scalable is this service? What’s the actual demand for private ambulance services since people can’t discover the service? How is the company going to ensure the security and privacy of people’s data when they’re using the app for emergency bookings? These are just some of the unanswered questions the company needs to tackle.
Reference Links:
- India Ambulance Services $1.67 Bn Market Trends, Regional Insights, Competition, Forecast and Opportunities, 2030F – Yahoo Finance
- Blinkit launches 10-minute ambulance service in Gurgaon – The Indian Express
- Forgotten pandemic lessons? India’s ambulance system needs urgent reforms – Business Standard
- BlinkIt’s ‘10-minute’ ambulances and the spectre of a larger malady – The Indian Express
- Demand and Scalability: Questions Around Blinkit’s 10-Min Ambulance Service – Medianama
- Blinkit’s 10-minute ambulance gamble: Can it beat the odds? – The Financial Express
What is your opinion on this?
(Only subscribers can participate in polls)
a) Blinkit’s 10-minute ambulance service is the next step in emergency healthcare.
b) Blinkit’s 10-minute ambulance service isn’t the next step in emergency healthcare.
Previous poll’s results:
- The draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) rules are robust: 29.4%
- The draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) rules aren’t robust: 70.6% 🏆
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