Hyderabad GES Day 1: Micro-ambulance, AmbuPod is the star'

Hyderabad: AmbuPod, a three-wheeled solar-powered micro-ambulance that can accommodate one patient and be attached to a two-wheeler, gained attention at day-one of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. The device has been developed by a Pune-based start-up that is run by a former officer of the Indian Air Force. It is ideal for use in crowded cities and rural areas. It can also be used in hilly regions. 

The AmbuPod can be operated as a 24-hour ambulance. It is equipped with a single stretcher that can accommodate one patient and seats for medical attendants. The weather-proof pod can be attached to a two-wheeler, which can help it navigate through crowded roads and narrow village lanes. It also has a make-shift tent kit, especially for pregnant women. This kit allows for the set up of a clinical tent that can be used to provide outpatient facilities and conduct deliveries. 

The equipment housed in the AmbuPod is charged by solar power. The low-cost ambulance is yet to hit the market; its developers are waiting for a patent to be granted. 

Speaking to this paper, D. Lavania, one of the innovators responsible for the development of the AmbuPod, said, “The provision of emergency medical facilities has been a challenge in rural India. This sector has been grossly deprived of healthcare. Facilities are either unavailable, or they reach people after a long delay. Regular ambulances may be ill-equipped and too large to drive through narrow village tracks. The patient has to be carried on a crude stretcher all the way to the hospital, or to the main road where the ambulance is parked. This can lead to a deterioration in the condition, or even death, of the patient.” 

While the situation is different in cities, there have been cases of patients having died because of the ambulance being stuck in traffic for hours. The AmbuPod could thus be useful in cities.