Not every hospital need arrives with a week's notice. A parent's condition changes overnight, a doctor calls back sooner than expected, or a family realizes at 8 AM that nobody can get to the hospital by the appointment time. When that happens, the real question isn't "should I hire a companion" — it's "can I actually get one today."
What "urgent" actually means with Corelatin
Corelatin's Urgent Need service is built specifically for this: a verified companion assigned within 30 minutes to 1 hour of the request, matched based on proximity to the hospital or patient's location rather than a general queue. It's priced as a premium urgent rate — ₹549 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum (₹1,098), billed afterward in 30-minute increments — reflecting faster, more immediate matching than a scheduled booking made a day or two ahead (the standard OPD Companion rate starts at ₹349/hour for non-urgent bookings).
What happens between the request and arrival
Placing an urgent request itself is free — payment happens only after the service is completed, so an unmatched request is never charged. Once a request comes in, proximity-based matching notifies the nearest available, verified companions — every companion completes identity verification (Aadhaar-based checks) and police verification before ever being assigned to a family. Once a companion accepts, the family sees who is coming and can track their arrival in real time, so there's a way to confirm exactly who's walking into the hospital on your parent's behalf.
What "no match, no charge" means
If proximity-based matching genuinely can't find a verified companion available in time, the request simply closes — no companion is dispatched and nothing is billed. This exists specifically because urgent requests are, by nature, harder to guarantee than a booking made with a day's notice, and the pricing reflects that honestly rather than promising something that can't always be delivered.
One honest limitation worth knowing
Corelatin's companion services — urgent or scheduled — are non-medical support: queue management, navigation, paperwork, wheelchair assistance, and keeping the family updated. This is explicitly not an emergency medical service. If a parent is having a genuine medical emergency, the right first call is 112 or the nearest hospital's emergency department — a companion can support a family once immediate medical response is underway, but shouldn't be the first call in a true emergency.
When same-day booking actually makes the difference
The most common real-world version of this isn't a dramatic emergency — it's a working professional who just found out their mother has a 2 PM OPD slot today and genuinely cannot leave the office in time. For that situation, same-day, proximity-matched booking closes exactly that gap: a verified companion getting to the hospital roughly as fast as a family member could, on a day when a family member simply can't.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can I get a hospital companion in an urgent situation?
Corelatin's Urgent Need service aims to assign a verified companion within 30 minutes to 1 hour, based on proximity to the patient's location.
How much does a same-day or urgent companion booking cost?
₹549 per hour with a 2-hour minimum (₹1,098), billed in 30-minute increments — higher than the standard OPD Companion rate of ₹349/hour, reflecting the faster, proximity-based matching involved.
What happens if no companion is available for an urgent request?
If a verified companion cannot be matched in time, the request is closed without charge — no companion is dispatched and nothing is billed.
Is this a substitute for calling an ambulance or emergency services?
No. Corelatin companions provide non-medical support only. For a genuine medical emergency, always call 112 or go to the nearest hospital's emergency department first.
Neha, Co-Founder
Neha is a Co-Founder of Corelatin. Her background in research and scientific rigor shapes how the team approaches companion verification, hospital navigation protocols, and family reporting standards across Delhi NCR. Corelatin's companions are trained in logistics, communication, and hospital navigation — not medical care, which always remains with qualified hospital staff.