Coronavirus: Ex-servicemen launch transport service for city doctors

Picture/Rajendra B Aklekar

Medical institutions in Mumbai can now tie-up with a unique transport service started by ex-servicemen for ferrying doctors and healthcare professionals to hospitals and back home. Aptly named 'Sainik For Doctors', MotherPod Innovations Private Limited, a first-of-its-kind shared mobility solutions provider managed by ex-servicemen, launched the initiative in Bengaluru on Friday.

Medical institutions in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad can partner with MotherPod for safe commute of doctors and other healthcare workers in vehicles piloted by defence veterans (ex-servicemen).

'Sainik for Doctors' is a dedicated service for COVID-19 health workers and has been launched at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. Through this initiative, MotherPod commits to offering a safe, secure, and sanitized mobility service and to facilitate a peaceful commute for health workers.

Keeping in view the current scenario and the challenges faced by frontline health workers, MotherPod will maintain stringent social distancing and safety protocols. For instance, the maximum number of passengers per ride is fixed at two. A secure acrylic partition of the highest quality has been installed in every vehicle. In addition, a single-use PPE kit with gloves, a sanitizer, and a mask will be given to every passenger before the ride commences. The interiors will be completely sanitized after each journey.

Captain Sanjay Kumar Singh, head of partnerships, MotherPod, said, "MotherPod aims to provide a range of technology-enabled mobility solutions, and we are pleased to launch our first initiative, 'Sainik for Doctors'. In the post-COVID scenario, heightened security measures and standards have become critical for safer commutes - whether you consider healthcare workers, or people travelling for business or leisure. Ex-Defence personnel are ideal for this challenge since they are disciplined and trained to follow the highest standards of safety protocols. Over time, MotherPod will expand its community of Sainiks and provide many more veterans a supportive ecosystem to move ahead in their careers."

To fulfill its vision of re-skilling, resettlement, and economic inclusion of ex-servicemen, MotherPod has partnered with various defence organisations. The company envisions resettling and re-skilling of about 1,00,000 veterans in the next 3 years.

MotherPod has a state-of-the-art Sainik Control Room and runs a helpline managed by the Sainiks. All vehicle fleets are monitored from strategically-located command centres across India. MotherPod's corporate mobility solutions are primarily targeted at hospitals, government agencies, corporates (private and public organisations), as well as the hospitality industry.

Using sustainable technology to achieve its goal of 'Growth through Mobility', MotherPod creates and enhances opportunities for economic inclusion of ex-servicemen into the mainstream. The company enables these individuals to become true entrepreneurs, unlocking a life of dignity and financial security. Details can be accessed here: www.motherpod.org

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