In a world where groceries and gadgets are expected to land in minutes at our front door, the stakes have been raised. Blinkit, the app for quick-moving household essentials that’s largely known for producing its delivery of essentials instantaneously, is getting the focus of media attention for something more serious: life-saving news because it saves lives.
A recent social media post by a Mumbai-based female named Prachi recently spread like wildfire detailing how the new ambulance service on the app became a glimmer of hope for her family amid an otherwise tragic medical emergency.
A Crisis at 4:00 AM
To be precise, the ordeal started in the early morning, when Prachi, who lived in Mumbai, got a panicked call from her parents in Delhi. Her aunt had had a sudden severe seizure (fits) and in panic the family. Under the pre-dawn, the family’s effort to find transportation had been repeated, but was met with failure. At first, no ride-hailing cabs could be found. When they eventually managed to book a taxi, the driver canceled the journey in the middle, saying the destination was too far. With time running out and her aunt’s illness worsening, the geographic distance between Mumbai and Delhi had made Prachi feel utterly impotent.
The Blinkit Intervention
When her husband told her he wanted to do something, Prachi opened up the Blinkit app. She found the interface with the ambulance booking option, to her surprise, in the interface. She could set her location to her family’s home in Delhi and get an emergency vehicle, even while hundreds of miles away in Mumbai. Within minutes, she got a verification call from the Blinkit team. True to their “10-minute delivery” ethos, an ambulance arrived at the Delhi residence soon after, quickly transporting her aunt to get her back to a hospital for emergency medical treatment.
A Service Built on Empathy
Prachi may have been surprised how much it cost. Ready to spend more for the speed, but quickly learns that Blinkit gives this ambulance service for free. As she expressed gratitude on social media, Prachi was especially heartened that although the world sees Blinkit as just another grocery app, to her family, Blinkit was literally a lifesaver.
Expanding the "10-Minute" Promise
Blinkit (a subsidiary of Zomato) first introduced the emergency response process in January last year in Gurgaon. Recognizing the acute requirement for highly planned medical transport, the service has also rolled out in Delhi and other big metro areas. Building on this, the company intends to fill the gaps in India’s patchwork emergency response system by utilizing its vast logistics network to deliver ambulances in a 10-minute span.
And this one has spread a conversation all over the internet as people commiserate about the use of the company’s infrastructure for social-good purposes. As technology blurs the lines between commerce and community service, the stories of people like Prachi are a reminder what innovative ideas can do to your life.
