Mohali
9 October 2019
DIVYA AZAD
In a first of its kind initiative, a unique cab service was launched at Fortis Hospital, Mohali today. The cab service is different from normal cab service as it is customised service for the elderly coming to the hospital and will also help wheelchair bound patients to reach the hospital.
Mr Ashish Bhatia, Chief Operating Officer, COO, Fortis Healthcare and Mr Abhijit Singh, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Mohali were present at the flag off from hospital OPD here today. The drivers and staff has been trained in life support at Fortis Mohali.
The project will help in transporting commuters who have limited mobility because they are wheelchair bound. They feel dependent on their family and friends to get from one part of the city to another and of course commuting in public transport is out of question since it is far from accessible.
Mr. Ashish Bhatia, Chief Operating Officer, COO, Fortis Healthcare said it was a task to bring the wheelchair borne patients to the hospital and with introduction of new cabs and ambulances it will make their lives simpler. This is one great step towards bringing such patients to the hospital comfortably and there are customised rotating front seats cars to facilitate easy mobility of the needy.
Sartaj Lamba CEO and founder of Buddy cabs said, “This is an initiative to empower the more vulnerable section of society to live a more fulfilling life by providing them with mobility that is safe and reliable. The drivers of these cabs are also care givers who themselves are Ex-Servicemen. The elderly in the tricity are entitled to the best care and the most important is medical care. We have customised the front seats of cars to facilitate easy mobility of the needy.”
The cab service provides a car and driver for the complete duration of the requirement, starting with a minimum of two hours. The driver and cab is at the disposal of the client for the duration of the journey.
They have a vehicle that is accessible for differently abled and elderly commuters and is equipped with a state-of-the-art wired remote control-operated hydraulic lift. This will come in handy to comfortably lift the wheelchair-bound passenger and enable them to board the cab without any support from a third person.
The cab’s interiors have been given a special facelift for commuters with mobility challenges such as quadriplegics, paraplegics and senior citizens, to accommodate their wheelchair at the back, along with extra room for three other co-passengers or caregivers, a wheelchair restraint to safely hold the chair during movement, first-aid kit for emergencies, a fire extinguisher and GPS, GPRS which could be tracked on a 24X7 basis. It also has a wheelchair-locking system and special handles, further adding to the comfort of the passenger.
Among those present were Gen KJ Singh retd GOC western Air command, Gen Satdev Bajaj retd, Gp Capt retd B S Sawani chief engineer Air Force, Mr Harman Sidhu of Arrive safe, Mr OP Sukhija, Mr Karan Bhandari, Mrs Tanu Mehtani and Mrs Ravinder Sawani.
