New Delhi, Nov. 5 -- Blinkit Ambulance has introduced a charge of Rs 2,500 for non-emergency transfers as it seeks to prevent the use of free emergency ambulance services for routine hospital visits and ensure that fully equipped ambulances remain available for critical patients.

Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal, said emergency transfers will continue to remain free, while the charge for non-emergency transfers will be collected after the trip. The amount will broadly be in line with what private ambulance operators charge.

In a post, Goyal said that the service has handled around 42,000 cases in the last two years, including approximately 20,000 emergency cases, without charging users.

Explaining the reason behind the change, Goyal...