In a bold move to reimagine urban emergency response, Blinkit — the quick commerce platform under Zomato’s Eternal umbrella — has quietly scaled up its ambitious 10-minute ambulance service in Gurugram, expanding its fleet from 5 to 12 vehicles within six months.
The service, which began as a pilot in January 2025, now operates out of six dedicated depots and serves nearly half of Gurugram’s geography. Blinkit says it aims to make urgent medical care as accessible and fast as groceries.
From Fast Delivery to Fast Relief
Best known for its lightning-fast grocery delivery, Blinkit is now applying the same logistics playbook to healthcare. According to internal data, the company has responded to 594 ambulance calls, including 225 critical emergencies, 294 planned transfers, and 75 road accidents — with 83% of dispatches reaching patients within 10 minutes.
Each ambulance is staffed with a trained paramedic, assistant, and driver, and is equipped with basic life support systems — including oxygen cylinders, AEDs, stretchers, monitors, suction machines, and essential emergency drugs.
Training for Care, Not Just Speed
Recognizing a key challenge in India’s healthcare ecosystem — the shortage of trained, empathetic emergency responders — Blinkit has launched its own paramedic training program. The goal, as Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal put it, is to ensure that patients are met not just with care, but compassion.
“We learned how difficult it is to find and train paramedics who can deliver not just medical aid, but empathy when it matters most,” Goyal said in a statement.
This training initiative reflects a deeper shift: treating emergency transport not as a logistics problem alone, but a frontline medical service in itself.
Not-for-Profit, But Built to Scale
Blinkit maintains that the ambulance service is not a profit-making venture. “This is a long-term investment in social infrastructure,” said Albinder Dhindsa, Blinkit’s co-founder. “We don’t want people to hesitate when calling for help.”
The company’s long-term vision includes rolling out this model across major Indian cities within two years — blending public service ethos with private-sector agility.
Reimagining Emergency Healthcare in Urban India
India’s ambulance infrastructure is still nascent, especially in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities where demand outpaces reliable supply. Most ambulances function as transport vehicles rather than fully-equipped medical responders. Blinkit’s model offers a tech-enabled, data-driven alternative — with a focus on speed, training, and accountability.
While critics have warned against over-commercializing health services, Blinkit’s not-for-profit approach and emphasis on trained human capital mark it as a potential disruptor in the public health landscape.