Speedoc app to offer private ambulance booking service in Singapore

SINGAPORE — Patients who need a private ambulance for non-emergencies will now be able to hire one using an app on their smartphones.

House call doctor app Speedoc and private ambulance operator Comfort Ambulance announced a tie-up on Wednesday (July 10) that will allow Speedoc users to hire Comfort’s fleet of 25 ambulances for transport to more than 100 healthcare institutions across Singapore, including hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.

Previously, patients would have to call the 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline, or contact individual private ambulance operators to book one.

The partnership comes after the Singapore Civil Defence Force announced that it would stop dispatching ambulances for non-emergencies from April 1 onwards, so as to better focus on life-threatening cases.

Said Speedoc’s chief executive officer, Dr Shravan Verma: “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 cost of booking a private ambulance on demand via Speedoc ranges from S$120 to S$170, depending on the location, time of day and demand.

Additional charges for services such as the use of oxygen therapy or stretchers will also be listed in the app.

Booking a private ambulance by phone typically costs between S$50 and S$130, but it will take around two hours to arrive, compared to around 30 minutes with the app, added Speedoc.

Comfort’s paramedics and ambulance drivers are also certified and accredited by the Ministry of Health, said Dr Daniel Chan, group deputy chief executive officer of Fullerton Healthcare Group, which owns Comfort Ambulance.

Speedoc hopes to get more ambulance operators on the app to gain “economies of scale and bring down the cost of private ambulance booking” in Singapore, added Dr Shravan.