The 1990 Suwaseriya Ambulance Service celebrates its fifth Anniversary today and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa intends to increase its capacity and plans to add 112 new ambulances to the present fleet.
Suwasariya has a staff of 1,394 and 297 ambulances. Suwaseriya has so far received 4,170,125 calls for assistance during its five years and has directly contributed to 903,438 incidents including hospitalization of patients.
Since the second COVID-19 outbreak Suwasariya has contributed to the transportation of 67,962 COVID positive patients to hospitals.
Participating in an event organized yesterday, Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid Control State Minister Dr.Sudarshini Fernandopulle said although the ambulance service in our country often took patients from one hospital to another, there was no facility to transport patients from home to a hospital and this facility is provided through the 1990 Suwaseriya which is a free service. The Suwaseriya team is committed to transporting critically ill patients to a hospital in less than 12 minutes and has a specialized system in place.
“Suwasariya is not just a team of ambulances with the ability to manage emergencies, including first aid, they are a team of trained staff with commitment, accountability and responsibility. Through the 1990 Suwaseriya, the team has been able to provide a great service to the urban and rural population throughout Sri Lanka, receiving over 5,000 calls and hospitalization of over a thousand patients per day,” the State Minister noted.
“Suwasariya service has won the trust of the people at the grassroots level of the country. On the occasion of the Fifth Anniversary, I would like to extend my congratulations to all those who contributed to the launch of this service and to the staff, including the Chairman and the Director Board. I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have unwaveringly served during the Covid19 pandemic,” she added.