1298
Make Way! Marketing to Save Lives in Mumbai
by Chris Walker, Acumen Fund Fellow
April 2008: On July 11, 2006, seven bombs exploded almost simultaneously
at various locations along Mumbai's commuter railway. A city rail system that consistently records nearly
4,000 deaths a year added another 209 to that number in one day alone. Passengers, bystanders, and nearby slum
dwellers immediately pitched in to help the injured.
Sudhesh More, an ambulance driver with the 1298 ambulance
service in Mumbai, was parked at a hospital near one of the bombings at Mahim
station. As often happens during large-scale disasters, the cellular phone
networks were jammed, so More used his radio to call two other 1298 ambulances that
were nearby, as well as the company's 24-hour control room, alerting them to
the situation.
More immediately drove to Mahim station, where he was joined
by a second 1298 ambulance, but the third one on the way to the scene got stuck
in Mumbai's nightmarish traffic, made even worse that day by the chaos of the
bombings. As often happens in Mumbai, many
of the casualties were taken to hospitals in rickshaws, taxis, and other private
vehicles, while traffic jams near the affected railway stations prevented many
emergency vehicles from arriving at the scene to provide assistance.
The difficulties faced by emergency responders on that
tragic day are representative of the daily challenges confronted by 1298 and
other ambulance services in Mumbai, one of the world's most congested
cities. Ubiquitous traffic jams, a
dearth of medically-equipped ambulances, and a general lack of awareness about
the importance of calling for an ambulance in an emergency pose severe operational
and marketing challenges for building a professional and financially viable
ambulance service.
These challenges are not easily solved, but 1298 is working step by step to tackle them. The company has dedicated itself to
applying best business practices and innovative marketing tactics to build a
new culture around emergency transport in Mumbai, and to offer this lifesaving
service to all without regard to a patient's ability to pay. In its first months, 1298 established a
24-hour control room and developed an ambulance tracking system using Google
Earth maps and GPS (global positioning system) units on each ambulance to
provide minute-by-minute location updates. The company invested in both cellular phones
and radio trunking communications so that all of its ambulances can be
reached, even during disasters when mobile phone networks tend to fail.
In a city with no 911-style emergency network, the new ambulance service established
the phone number 1-2-9-8 for the city's residents to call in any medical
emergency. To streamline calls, and to ensure the quickest response time
possible, 1298 also built a network out of the other existing ambulance
services in the city.
But setting up these systems and outfitting ambulances with
modern equipment and trained technicians was only the starting point for the
company. Even with efficient systems in place, there remains the major
challenge of educating people of all income levels about 1298 and about the advantages
of using an ambulance. The company is developing marketing campaigns to raise
awareness about the importance of calling an ambulance in an emergency (e.g.,
with posters stating, "An ambulance starts treatment before you reach the
hospital. A taxi doesn't."). 1298's
marketing campaign also addresses the difficult traffic situation in Mumbai and
the importance of behavioral changes ("Save a life! Make way for an ambulance!"). Making the telephone number easier to recall
during emergencies is also a high priority, so the company has been distributing
telephone stickers bearing the 1298 number at locations throughout the city,
among other initiatives.
As 1298 consolidates its operational model in Mumbai, it is
exploring options for expanding around India, and recently began
operations in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The 1298 ambulance service is growing
quickly, seeking to ensure that no more lives are lost for lack of a
readily-accessible ambulance in India.