The think tank for 1298 – Dial for Ambulance comprises five people; four
threw it all up in the West to make a difference among their people
CHRIS KHETAN
The mission was to set up a nationwide network of Life Support Ambulance
Service that would be accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere through an
easy to remember four digit telephone number. That was in 2004.
Cut to 2007, the mission has been accomplished; and now the next step is
to take it nationwide.
And it seems things are swimming in that direction as well, as the
venture, ‘1298 – Dial for Ambulance’ is headed southwards for Kerala.
Meanwhile, the last three years have gone by in setting up an emergency
medical service that has been modelled on the lines of some of the world’s
best.
It all started as a novel idea with a noble cause. Four young men took
the decision to forfeit lucrative careers and comfortable lives in the West
for the bump and grind of running an ambulance service in Mumbai.
After completing their degrees in the United States, Shaffi Mather, Ravi
Krishna, Naresh Jain and Manish Sancheti headed back to the unchartered
waters of Mumbai’s unorganised and fragmented ambulance service industry.
Yet their young philanthropic zeal of a free ambulance service for all
was quickly tempered by their mentor and guide Sam Pitroda who advised them
to charge the rich while waiving off the fee for the poor.
Manish, the finance and accounts in charge, recounts amusingly the
incident of a client who followed in a Mercedes-Benz, the ambulance carrying
her sick mother. On reaching the entrance of one of the more expensive
hospitals of the city, she refused payment citing how one doesn’t have to
pay for emergency services in the West. Manish continues, “It’s funny how it’s
our less privileged customers who have always paid us, they will scrounge
for the money from relatives or friends if they have to but somehow we get
paid.”
The company is divided; the front-end folk consists of drivers, doctors
and helpers that ride in each ambulance. Back-end, at the heart of the
operations, are the call-centre executives, like Don Barry. Man of the
moment, he’s been taking calls for the last three years, “Sure I get frantic
callers on the phone who tend to get mindless in panic situations, that’s
when I have to take charge and get moving.”
Working with no less than three software; Don corresponds incoming
landline numbers to addresses, then uses another that tracks using GPS
(global positioning system) the nearest ambulance to the victim and then the
third software that allows him to relay this information to the assigned
vehicle.
1298 on an average
60-70 calls per day, and when the number of emergencies step up they are
then handed over to 14 associate ambulances. Sweta Mangal, who stepped into
the company to manage sales and marketing is optimistic that 1298 will do
even more. “We have had very little money to advertise or market our
services. At the end of the month we have just enough to cover operational
costs, but somehow we have sustained through word of mouth. We now have
corporates, individuals and other organisations coming forward with offers
to help and add to our fleet of ambulances. They obviously feel that 1298 is
a place where their money will come to good use.”
The five behind 1298 are doing all they can to get the government to
acknowledge their efforts and give them official recognition, but to no
avail. “If we had government cover we wouldn’t have to give ward boys at
hospitals “sales tips” for referring people to us,” says a frustrated Sweta.
Yet it’s not been all discouraging as the group’s efforts have been
recorded and rewarded. They were awarded the Godfrey Philip Bravery Gold
Award 2007 for Social Act of Courage and the Times Foundation Recognition
Award for life saving service to Mumbai – having been instrumental during
the 7/11 bomb blasts in the city by transferring the injured to hospitals
and then again recently at the site of the Borivli building collapse.
Additionally, Shaffi was awarded a fellowship at Harvard School of
Business for which he is away currently. And, even while there, the four
know he will be tirelessly campaigning for the cause of 1298, Dial for
Ambulance.
TEAM AMBULANCE: (From L-R) Sweta Mangal, Naresh Jain, Manish Sancheti and Dr
Paresh Navalkar
Publication:Mumbai Mirror ; Date:Aug 4, 2007; Section:Bombay Buck; Page
Number:13
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