By Soham Chokshi
The most important lesson from quick commerce is that we can get goods available at our disposal when we need them the most. Then why not apply the same model to essential services? If this materialises, it could be of immense value to human lives. Moreover, media reports state that almost 30 per cent of total deaths in road accidents in India occur due to the unavailability of ambulances or timely medical care. Data by the Ministry of Health says that there are merely 25,851 ambulances for about 130 crore Indians living across the country. It is quite evident that there is an urgent need to utilise state-of-the-art technologies to effectively mobilise these vehicles in the most competent way possible to improve the accessibility and efficiency of our emergency services.
Another report highlighted that in 2020, over 1500 people had to wait for more than three hours just to get an ambulance. It is difficult to overlook such critical indicators, which show a massive need gap. Yet, a lot would have been done by using technology capabilities to improve the availability of ambulances. What if a dynamic route optimiser would have planned the shortest route to patients, shrinking turnaround times for emergency vehicles.
Similarly, we could adopt this model for delivering critical care equipment and goods such as oxygen cylinders, home-care ventilators, etc., to customers or even small hospitals/dispensaries in remote areas within 20 minutes. AI and ML-powered logistics management solutions could accomplish this.
A smart allocation engine can help ship such critical goods from the nearest dark store and automatically assign adequate resources to carry out the task. The system can consider order constraints like weight and volume, driver’s route, etc., to automate the selection of the right vehicle type, such as a van or a bike, and the nearest driver to facilitate faster delivery.
How Automation Can Improve Emergency Care
Automation will have a profound role in the effective management of emergency services, which includes optimising and mobilising ambulance services, medical equipment, and life-saving drugs. Logistics stakeholders can map vehicles to a specific pin code or a locale. Advanced analytics can further predict demand for services and can take care of inventory management and resource allocation in these locations.
Furthermore, organisations must embrace the power of automation to improve logistics efficiency and ensure accessibility of emergency services to all. It can help scan the availability of drivers across marketplaces and onboard them as and when the need arises. The auto-allocation logic can be based on factors such as past performance, proximity, and experience in rendering some sort of first aid for critical cases.
From an end customer, an automation-powered smart logistics management platform can drastically boost the visibility of emergency care. It can provide customers with insights on ETAs and the cost of medical services and suggest the most efficient way to access medical care at the earliest.
Although the quick commerce model is still in its nascent stages in this part of the world, we have a solid potential to actualise these goals. We can wholly realise the capabilities of this emergent sector when it is used for revolutionising essential industries like healthcare. Well, it may not be known by the same name by then, but it will serve a bigger purpose for humankind.
By Soham Chokshi, CEO and Co-Founder, Shipsy
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person / organisation directly or indirectly.)