An innovative product that can become a blessing to provide emergency medical care as well as outpatient services in remote rural areas — AmbuPod — has caught the attention of entrepreneurs at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, 2017 held at Hyderabad.

A Pune-based former Indian Air Force medical officer Lavanian Dorairaj, has come up with a cost-effective, utility-based micro-ambulance-cum-mobile clinic, called the Ambupod, to cater to rural and urban healthcare needs. The ambupod can be connected to any vehicle, from motor cycle, auto rickshaw to a wheel barrow for easy navigation along narrow paths and in any kind of difficult terrain. The solar-powered ambulance has a medical attendant to provide resuscitative care while the vehicle is in motion.

The Ambupod is on display at the summit's innovation gallery as a product of LYNK Ambupod Pvt Ltd.

The zero polluting ambupod has hi-tech software to facilitate sharing of patient's vitals with the hospital doctor including ECG, explains Dr. Dorairaj who has developed the rural health care platform with the help of his daughter Yamini, a psychology graduate and an aspiring entrepreneur.

Ambupod can handle about 15 diagnostic tests including ECGs and blood pressure. Apart from a stretcher, it can also accommodate an attendant.

The ambupod has a kit that allows the setting up of a make shift clinic that can run daily OPD services. All the medical instruments on the ambupod can be charged by solar power. The ambupod is agile enough to climb hills, mountains and move through narrow village tracks or slum paths, they explain.

Compared to a normal ambulance that costs about Rs. 15 lakh, the Ambupod costs about Rs. 3.5 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh. "We are looking at funding to launch the Ambupod in 50 villages," said Dr. Lavanian.

Ms. Yamini says that they are spreading awareness about the product seeking to tie up with NGOs or under the corporate social responsibility programme who share the same passion to make a difference