The Ford Transit is now an ambulance, and it’s ready for deployment to help fight COVID-19 in the Philippines.
In a Facebook post, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) showed a brand-new Ford Transit ambulance turned over by the Lopez Group of Companies as part of a P100 million funding package to support the agency. According to the DOTr, the new ambulance unit is “one of the most modern ambulances in the country” and is ready for deployment. Look:
Aside from its obvious advantage—its size—the Ford Transit ambulance comes equipped with a medical wall wide cabinet, collapsible stretchers, a divider with a sliding window, a stainless-steel ramp, defibrillator, nebulizer, and various medical consumables. This particular unit will support COVID-19 operations in Pier 15 at the Manila South Harbor.
Locally, the Ford Transit carries a P2,300,000 price tag and is powered by a 2.2-liter Duratorq diesel engine capable of 133hp and 385Nm of torque. No word on how much this conversion cost.
This won’t be the Ford Transit’s first crack at helping out authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Units of the van lent by Ford Philippines have been transporting frontline healthcare workers to hospitals and clinics since late March.
Do you think the Ford Transit will perform well as an ambulance? Or would something smaller be a better fit for the tight roads in the Philippines? Let us know in the comments.
For more of our stories on the ongoing crisis, click here. For the latest news and updates on COVID-19, check out reportr.world/covid-19.