Harsha reflects on Suwa Seriya’s decade of service

Wednesday, 29 July 2026 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service yesterday marked 10 years since its first ambulance was flagged off at Galle Face in 2016, with Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva reflecting on the service’s expansion from a contested proposal into one of the country’s largest emergency medical response networks.

In a post on X, Dr. de Silva, who spearheaded the initiative, said the free ambulance service was launched amid opposition from the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and certain political groups.

He said the service now responds to around 1,000 incidents each day, travels nearly 30,000 kilometres daily and delivers a fully equipped ambulance to medical emergencies in an average of less than 13 minutes.

Dr. de Silva thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for supporting the project, and acknowledged the people of India for the initial $ 23 million grant that enabled the service to be established.

He also credited the board led by Dumindra Ratnayake for its vision and technological innovation, and the more than 1,500 staff led by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sohan De Silva for developing the service over the past decade.

Dr. de Silva extended his best wishes to the new management appointed last year by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and expressed hope they would continue to strengthen the emergency ambulance service.

“May 1990 Suwa Seriya continue to serve the people of this country for generations to come,” he said.