Modernizing Ziqitza - the largest Emergency Medical Services platform in Asia

Success Story

About the Client

Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd. (ZHL) is India’s leading organized provider of professional ambulance and emergency medical services. Operating a fleet of 3,389 ambulances across 18 states, ZHL has supported over 3 million patients to date. The organization partners with state governments and the National Health Mission (NHM) to manage the 108 emergency ambulance helpline and the 104 health helpline.

Country:

India

Industry:

Healthcare

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Business Situation

As demand for app-based EMS solutions has increased exponentially, organizations face challenges in handling higher request volumes while ensuring speed, accuracy, and reliability. For the client, the expanding number of emergency service requests exposed limitations in its legacy EMS portal, making it difficult to process and manage requests seamlessly.

The client required a modern, scalable web and mobile application to digitize and streamline emergency operations end-to-end. The existing system depended on, manual service request handling and spreadsheet-based logging, while outdated third-party integrations limited operational efficiency. To overcome these challenges and enable hospitals to respond to emergencies more effectively, the client partnered with Unthinkable to build a unified, future-ready EMS platform.

Key requirements were:

Conduct a detailed discovery and analysis phase to map the complete lifecycle of Service Requests (SRs), identifying operational gaps and defining a robust, end-to-end execution workflow for the web application.
Decouple the mobile application’s dialer, user interface, and core components to enable greater customization, flexibility, and independent feature enhancements.
Reduce system downtime by enabling seamless updates and deployments, ensuring application changes do not interrupt critical emergency operations.
Implement a centralized logging and tracking system to monitor Service Requests in real time across all stages of execution.
Improve UI responsiveness and significantly optimize application load times to support faster actions in emergency scenarios.
Introduce stronger access management through role-based permissions to ensure secure, controlled, and efficient system usage.

The Solution

To modernize emergency medical operations and overcome limitations of the legacy system, the Unthinkable team reverse-engineered the existing application to identify workflow gaps, technical constraints, and scalability challenges. The analysis revealed fragmented request handling, manual dependencies, and limited flexibility to support varying state-level EMS requirements.

Based on these insights, Unthinkable designed a unified, future-ready solution comprising two integrated applications. A React-based web application enables outbound teams to manage calls, process Service Requests (SRs), assign ambulances and medical staff, and control role-based access. Complementing this is a React Native mobile application built for drivers, EMTs, supervisors, and auditors to support real-time dispatch, communication, and on-ground execution. Together, the applications streamline emergency response, improve operational visibility, and provide a scalable platform adaptable to diverse regional needs.

Key Features:

Service Request Cycle Management

When a patient places a call to an emergency number, a Service Request (SR) is generated and routed to the outbound team through the web application. Care Agents initiate SRs, assign ambulances, drivers, and EMTs, and coordinate pickups using a structured workflow. The system supports onboarding users from both government and private hospitals. A master data management framework enables clearly defined roles, such as SR Master, Shift Master, District Master, and Hospital Master, each with role-based permissions to ensure secure and efficient SR processing.

Emergency medical services app for Ziqitza

Driver Mobile Application

Once an SR is assigned, drivers receive real-time notifications through the mobile application. Assignments are made based on proximity, ambulance availability, and hospital partnerships. The app supports multiple dispatches for a single SR when required. An integrated dialer allows drivers to communicate directly with callers, while automated SMS and push notifications share ambulance and driver details with patients. This ensures faster coordination, reduced response time, and clear communication throughout the emergency pickup and transport process.

Flexible and Customizable Architecture

The solution was built using a modular architecture that supports easy integration of third-party or in-house plug-ins. Since state governments follow different operational protocols, the web and mobile apps are highly configurable. Customizations can be applied to dialers, vehicle tracking systems (VTS), UI elements, and verification flows. Both applications can also be configured based on call center capacity and verification levels, with flexibility to select which emergency numbers, 100, 101, or 108, are routed to the care teams.

Service Request Tracking and Reporting

A centralized logging system provides complete visibility into the SR lifecycle, allowing SR Masters to track execution in real time. Each SR is associated with a unique trace ID, while transaction IDs help diagnose and resolve API-level issues quickly. The reporting module, built using Next.js, supports both client- and server-side rendering to generate real-time performance logs. This enables proactive issue resolution, system monitoring, and data-driven insights into operational efficiency and application performance.

Government to Private Expansion

After achieving strong success in government contracts, Ziqitza EMS aimed to expand into the private ambulance services market. The primary challenge was entering this new segment without rebuilding systems from scratch. Instead of developing a separate platform, the existing EMS portal was strategically revamped and enhanced. This approach accelerated market entry while leveraging proven infrastructure. To support private sector operations effectively, the solution introduced three interconnected applications designed to streamline coordination, dispatch efficiency, and overall service delivery.

Customer Application

The customer-facing application was transformed from a basic single-page portal into a comprehensive, modern interface comparable to leading on-demand platforms. When a patient calls the helpline, the system automatically opens an answer call page pre-filled with the caller’s number, enabling faster response. Agents collect critical details such as pickup location, medical condition, and equipment requirements before generating a service request ticket. This triggers coordinated ambulance dispatch, ensuring timely resource allocation and improved emergency response efficiency.

Diverse Ambulance Requests

The ambulance request system was expanded to accommodate a broad range of medical transportation scenarios. Beyond traditional emergency ground transport, customers can request services for pet transportation, air ambulance transfers, event medical coverage, and even doctor-at-home consultations. This comprehensive approach ensures the platform supports both urgent and specialized healthcare needs. By extending its services across multiple use cases, the system positions itself as a versatile medical mobility solution rather than a conventional emergency-only service.

Vendor/Supervisor Application

The Vendor and Supervisor application is designed to seamlessly integrate third-party service providers into Ziqitza’s network. When service requests are generated, they are distributed to both in-house drivers and registered vendors based on proximity and ambulance availability. This intelligent allocation ensures faster response times and optimal resource utilization. Upon successful service completion and payment collection, vendors remit a predefined commission to Ziqitza, creating a structured and mutually beneficial operational ecosystem.

Crew Members (Driver) Application

The Crew Members application supports the internal operational framework for drivers within the Ziqitza system. Built on a structure similar to the government contract solution, the application ensures efficient communication, task updates, and service coordination. Drivers receive request details, navigate to patient locations, and update trip statuses in real time. This streamlined workflow enhances dispatch accuracy, improves accountability, and ensures a coordinated response to service requests across both government and private operations.

The Impact

The technology partnership has enabled the client to support over 32 lakh people through its EMS platform, including more than 12 lakh pregnant women who delivered successfully.

The system now efficiently manages daily ambulance dispatches for hundreds of vehicles, ensuring timely emergency response. With expanded operations across 18 states, the client operates a strong fleet of over 3,389 ambulances deployed across state government hospitals and private healthcare organizations.

32 Lakh+

emergency requests handles

3,500+

ambulances integrated

2 million+

tele-health consultations delivered

Modernizing Ziqitza - the largest Emergency Medical Services platform in Asia

About the Client

Country:

Industry:

Business Situation

The Solution

Service Request Cycle Management

Driver Mobile Application

Flexible and Customizable Architecture

Service Request Tracking and Reporting

Government to Private Expansion

Customer Application

Diverse Ambulance Requests

Vendor/Supervisor Application

Crew Members (Driver) Application

The Impact

32 Lakh+

3,500+

2 million+

Awards & Accolades

Delaware, USA

London, UK

Dubai, UAE

Gurugram, India

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