Suva Seriya free ambulance service launched in Uva

Another phase of the first fully fledged pre hospital care ambulance service was launched on Friday in the Uva Province with 26 ambulances.Under the second stage of the Suva Seriya free ambulance service, ambulances were handed over to 26 police stations in the Province at a ceremony held at the Public Grounds at Hali Ela, Badulla yesterday under the patronage of the Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Minister Harin Fernando and State Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva.

In the first stage the free emergency ambulance service was implemented in the Western and Southern provinces. The second stage of the Suva Seriya ambulance service will be expanded island wide implementing in the other seven provinces as well, according to the Government Information Department.

In the Western and Southern provinces, 145 ambulances are in service. More than 90,000 people have been admitted to hospitals by the emergency ambulances and 32 children born in ambulances were also taken to hospitals safely.After receiving a phone call, the ambulances have reached the patient on average in less than 13 minutes.

The service was launched with US$ 7.55 financial assistance from the Indian Government in July 2016. In the first stage currently implemented only in the Western and Southern provinces 88 ambulances with 600 Sri Lankan staff were utilized in service.The second stage of the 1990 Suvaseriya Ambulance Service will be expanded by 209 more units with a grant of US$ 15 million from India. The service was launched in Jaffna last month with 55 ambulances.

By December the free emergency ambulance service will be expanded with 297 units and cover all citizens and tourists, according to the State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha De Silva.