The name and 1990 hotline of the Suwa Seriya free ambulance service have not been changed, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa confirmed in Parliament today.
Addressing the house, Minister Jayatissa said no decision has been made on changing the existing colour of the ambulance service.
“The ambulance service was introduced in the 2015-2020 period when Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister, and with the intervention of MP Harsha de Silva. We will continue the ambulance service with the green colour introduced by your government. Do not make this an issue,” Minister Jayatissa further said.
However, the Health Minister pointed out that the ambulance service needs to be developed in line with the global medical emergency services.
“The 1990 hotline and ambulance service is well registered in the public’s mind. So we will not change the hotline, its name or the green colour. What we intend to do is to develop it by introducing the latest technology in line with global standards,” he said.
Briefing the Parliament further, Minister Jayatissa said, “We allocated Rs. 500 million for this service in 2025. We are recruiting emergency medical technicians. Discussions are underway with India to obtain 100 more ambulances. Another 85 ambulances are to be received from the Asian Development Bank as a grant. We intend to strengthen the fleet to 500 ambulances and upgrade its services with modern technology per global standards and train the relevant staff accordingly.”
Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service has been brought under the purview of the Health Ministry and is being developed as a unit of the ministry.
His clarification comes after the opposition recently raised concerns over alleged changes being made to the 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service, after a newspaper advertisement was published with changes to the logo.
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Responding to Minister Jayatissa, Opposition MP Harsha de Silva displayed the new letterhead of the ambulance service, stating that it is now identified as a National Emergency Ambulance Service.
“At the bottom, it refers to Suwa Seriya in small print. But it bears no resemblance to the original Suwa Seriya Service. Please do not change this. People are used to the old name,” he said, addressing Parliament today.
MP Harsha de Silva appealed to the government not to change the objective of the service, pointing out that it is purely an emergency response ambulance service, but the government’s advertisement refers to something entirely different.
Replying to MP Harsha de Silva, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa reiterated that the motive of the government was to only upgrade the services of the ambulance in line with global practices. (Newswire)