India signed an agreement with Sri Lanka on Wednesday to supply 100 additional ambulances to the island nation's emergency medical service under a grant assistance of 5.28 million dollars.
The grant was signed and a Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged in the presence of Indian Union Health Minister J P Nadda, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
The India-assisted emergency ambulance service initially launched in July 2016 across Sri Lanka's Western and Southern Provinces with an initial grant of 7.5 million dollars. That phase provided 88 ambulances, covered operational expenses for one year, and established an emergency response centre.
In July 2018, the initiative was expanded nationwide by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe through an additional grant of 15.02 million dollars, adding 209 ambulances alongside training and running costs.
The latest delivery of 100 vehicles will expand the country's free emergency ambulance fleet, known as 1990 Suwa Seriya, which currently operates 322 vehicles across the island.
The emergency system handles an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 patient-transfer calls every day, offering free medical transport nationwide. In a post on X, the Indian High Commission called the project a shining example of bilateral development partnership delivering direct public benefits.
Health Minister Nadda attended the signing while visiting Colombo for the first health ministers meeting of BIMSTEC, a seven-nation regional bloc encompassing countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
Source: Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka
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