The suspension of operations of ride share cab services like Uber and Ola has put a lot of people into inconvenience. Uber is now trying to come to the rescue of at least the healthcare staff like doctors and paramedics by starting a new service called ‘UberMedic’.
This service will be a dedicated one meant to transport frontline healthcare workers to and from the hospitals /clinics.
The cap aggregator will work closely with the hospitals to make this work. The primary issue for them is the safety of the drivers. To get around this, the drivers volunteering for UberMedic will be specifically trained on all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The drivers will be provided with the essential protection equipment like face masks, gloves etc. They will all be provided with hand sanitisers as well as ways to sanitise their vehicles. The idea is to keep them safe. One of the conditions will be that the seat next to the driver will not be occupied.
Uber’s rival Ola too is keen to be of some assistance in this time of crisis and says it is in discussions with the state governments on this issue. Its service may include healthcare professionals, senior citizens, government officials and quick response teams who need mobility options.
Hopefully, this arrangement will ease the trouble for many people apart from the healthcare professionals. There are patients needing dialysis as outpatients and other patients like those under cancer treatment who have to continue with their chemotherapy sessions. Such critical cases will have to be identified and the people helped while not violating any of the social distancing and other precautions for coronavirus containment.