With the launch of “1990 Suwaseriya” Ambulance Service in the Eastern Province yesterday, the service is now available in all nine Provinces of the country, the High Commission of India said yesterday.
The Ambulance Service was launched in the Eastern Province in a special ceremony held in Ampara yesterday fulfilling the ambulance service in all nine provinces.
Ministers Dr. Harsha de Silva, Daya Gamage, Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage and High Commissioner of India Taranjit Singh Sandhu graced the occasion.
The countrywide expansion of the Emergency Ambulance Service was started with the launch in Jaffna in July last year.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe requested Indian counterpart Premier Narendra Modi during his visit to Sri Lanka in March 2015, to launch a pre-hospital emergency ambulance service in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the “1990 Suwaseriya” was launched in Southern and Western Provinces in July 2016 under an Indian grant of US$ 7.5 million.
This grant covered purchase of 88 ambulances, operational expenditure of the service for one year and setting up of an emergency response centre.
The service has been available in Northern Province since July 2018, in Uva since August 2018, in North Central Province since September, in North Western since October, Central Province since November 2018 and in Sabaragamuwa since January 2019.
What a superb launch it was at Ampara! We, including Duminda Ratnayake, delivered on our promise. Suwa Seriya is now island wide! Thank you Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Indian High Commission said the emergency ambulance service , is the largest Indian grant project in Sri Lanka after the Indian Housing Project.
Non Cabinet Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Dr. Harsha De Silva yesterday expressed his enthusiasm over making Suwa Seriya ambulance service an island wide service. He said the launch which was held at Ampara was superb.
“What a superb launch it was at Ampara! We, including Duminda Ratnayake, delivered on our promise. Suwa Seriya is now island wide! Thank you Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and the Indian High Commission for US$ 23 million gift to get started. Now we are a fully Sri Lankan Government service. Call 1990 for any medical emergency,” he tweeted. (D.S.B)
