Speedoc, Comfort Ambulance launch Singapore’s first ambulance-booking app
By Digital News Asia July 11, 2019
- Transport from anywhere in Singapore to over 100 healthcare institutions island-wide
- Charges for booking an ambulance differ based on timing, location, and day
NOW, you can hire a private ambulance the same way you would app for a private-hire car, thanks to a partnership between Singapore’s house-call doctor app Speedoc and ambulance operator Comfort Ambulance & Services Pte Ltd.
Speedoc app users can call on Comfort Ambulance’s fleet of 25 ambulances for transport from anywhere in Singapore to more than 100 healthcare institutions island-wide, including hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices.
In April, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) announced that it would no longer dispatch ambulances to cover non-emergency cases so that it can better focus on the serious and life-threatening cases.
Overall, the 995 calls to SCDF have been on the rise over the last decade. Users who need a private ambulance can now either contact over 20 operators individually or call the 1777 hotline but sometimes have to wait a long time for an ambulance to be confirmed.
Speedoc doctors have experienced great difficulties and waits for as long as two hours when they needed to call for a private ambulance to ferry a patient to a hospital.
Situations such as pneumonia and serious skin infections are not life threatening but patients suffering from these conditions may need to be sent to a hospital as soon as possible for treatment. Other patients may be bedridden, requiring them to be transported in a stretcher
Speedoc chief executive officer Dr Shravan Verma (pic, right), said: “With our app, users requiring a private ambulance can now get an ambulance response typically within minutes. The app is available round the clock and users will be informed of the charges before they confirm their bookings.”
The updated Speedoc app lets users book a doctor or an ambulance through the same app. The charges for booking an ambulance differ based on timing, location, and day. Any additional charges such as the use of oxygen therapy and the use of stretchers are clearly listed so users do not have to worry about hidden charges.
Dr Daniel Chan, group deputy chief executive officer of Fullerton Healthcare Group which owns Comfort Ambulance, said: “Comfort Ambulance guarantees the highest quality of patient care through its team of qualified healthcare professionals and fully-equipped fleet of ambulances.
“We take pride in ensuring the utmost safety when transporting our patients – all our paramedics and ambulance drivers are certified and accredited by the Ministry of Health with Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMTB) qualification, Automated External Defribillator (AED) and Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification. We are happy to be the first private ambulance provider to partner with Speedoc and make our services more accessible to patients.”
Speedoc is currently working with other ambulance operators to get more of them on board the app.
Dr Shravan said: “Eventually we want to gain the economies of scale and bring down the cost of private ambulance booking for Singaporeans.”
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