Angkas Brought First Motorcycle Ambulance In The Philippines
In the middle of next year, Angkas is planning to launch a new in-app feature which will shown an emergency button. This will send a notification to Emergency Medical Technicians or EMT drivers who are qualified to handle such situations. The one closest to the person who sent the alert will be notified. The service is referred to as AngkasBuhay and everyone who is qualified is welcome to volunteer for Angkas. Obviously, this job is not something that can be done while wearing motorbike casual clothing as the job entails something more serious.
The motorcycles or ambucycles will have all the medical supplies needed along with equipment. According to the CEO of Angkas, Angeline Tham, they are now focusing to something more than delivering goods and passengers. The goal is to do so much more. This is already a big step for the company, an app service for hailing motorcycles, which announced the new feature during the launched of Safety Fiesta.
The EMT riders who will be volunteering for AngkasBuhay will undergo rigorous training in the coming months in order to learn the ropes from treating patients to stabilizing their condition until such time that secondary medical transport is available on the scene. For severe cases, the service can transport medical personnel to the site of the accident.
Tham said that the inspiration for this new service came after a driver came to the rescue of a police during an incident that happened in Cebu City. With the driver’s help, the police was brought to the hospital for treatment as fast as possible since the injuries are life-threatening and could have caused the police’s life.
She further explained that their main goal at the beginning was to help commuters who are stuck in traffic but now they are moving on to a bigger purpose by saving lives. This is a way for them to provide public service when needed.
Angkaswas launched only a year ago and has currently 20,000 qualified drivers enrolled under their platform. There are three hubs all over the country as of the moment – Cagayan de Oro, Metro Manila and Cebu. They are required to wear motorbike casual clothing but not regular clothing for their safety and the safety of the passengers as well.