Blinkit Ambulance to charge Rs 2,500 for non-emergency transfers amid alleged misuse of free services

Blinkit Ambulance has introduced a charge of Rs 2,500 for non-emergency transfers as it seeks to prevent the use of free emergency ambulance services for routine hospital visits and ensure that fully equipped ambulances remain available for critical patients.

Blinkit Ambulance has introduced a charge of Rs 2,500 for non-emergency transfers as it seeks to prevent the use of free emergency ambulance services for routine hospital visits and ensure that fully equipped ambulances remain available for critical patients. Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal, said emergency transfers will continue to remain free, while the charge for non-emergency transfers will be collected after the trip. The amount will broadly be in line with what private ambulance operators charge.

In a post, Goyal said that the service has handled around 42,000 cases in the last two years, including approximately 20,000 emergency cases, without charging users. Explaining the reason behind the change, Goyal said that a growing share of bookings was being made for routine checkups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers, which could have been handled by regular private transport.

"With everything free, a growing share of bookings are for routine checkups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers, trips that an Uber or private transport could have handled just as easily," Goyal said. He added that every such booking keeps a fully equipped emergency ambulance with paramedics off the road when someone may need it during a medical emergency.

"Emergency transfers – free, as always. Non-emergency transfers – Rs 2,500, charged after the trip," Goyal said. He said the money collected from non-emergency transfers would go to Eternal Foundation, which operates the ambulance service and would use the funds to help expand its operations.

Goyal said the company hopes the new charge will significantly reduce the use of emergency ambulances for non-emergency purposes. He also highlighted the shortage of trained and empathetic paramedics as the biggest challenge in expanding high-quality ambulance services.

"Our training academy is scaling as fast as we can without compromising on quality," Goyal said, adding that the team aims to take Blinkit Ambulance services to all major cities in India over the next two to four years. He said the 10-minute ambulance service has saved lives and needs to remain available for emergencies where timely medical assistance is critical. (ANI)