Manipal Hospitals Launches Bike Ambulances Across Whitefield and Bengaluru
Manipal Hospitals has launched 'Emergency First Responders on Two Wheels' to deliver rapid medical stabilization across major high-traffic corridors in Bengaluru, including Whitefield, Varthur, and Marathahalli. The bike ambulance initiative is designed to bypass severe gridlock and navigate narrow streets that often prove inaccessible to standard four-wheeled ambulances during critical emergencies.
The service was officially unveiled and flagged off by U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, alongside Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of Manipal Hospitals. Transport Department Additional Commissioners C. Mallikarjun and Gyanendra Kumar were also present at the launch.
Each two-wheeler is outfitted with essential medical equipment, including Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), portable ECG machines, trauma kits, first-aid supplies, and portable oxygen cylinders. The vehicles feature a rear-mounted compact medical storage unit, with oxygen cylinders and fire extinguishers affixed to the sides, as well as a front siren and beacon lights to help riders maneuver through congested traffic.
The two-person responder teams wear specialised safety helmets integrated with built-in microphones, allowing continuous communication between the paramedics, hospital emergency staff, and patients. To ensure visibility during evening hours, pillion riders carry reflective emergency backpacks as they navigate city traffic.
Under the emergency protocol, when a caller contacts the helpline at 080-22221111, hospital command centre staff and emergency room physicians evaluate the call and dispatch both a bike unit and a conventional ambulance. The two-wheeler paramedic arrives ahead of the larger vehicle to provide immediate medical assessment, begin critical care, and transmit real-time patient data back to the hospital team. Once the regular ambulance arrives, the patient is transferred for hospital transport.
In addition to Whitefield, Varthur, and Marathahalli, the bike ambulances have been deployed across several other dense zones, including Old Airport Road, Indiranagar, Domlur, Halasuru, Hebbal, R.T. Nagar, Nagawara, Sarjapur Road, Yeshwanthpur, Rajajinagar, Malleshwaram, Vasanth Nagar, Yelahanka, and Hennur.
