Sri Lanka's 1990 Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service celebrated its tenth anniversary with plans for expansion, including additional ambulances from India and new technological initiatives to improve emergency response times.

The 1990 Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service commemorated a decade of operations with an anniversary event held at the Foundation Institute in Colombo on the 31st, attended by Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, and Members of Parliament. The occasion marked the service's evolution from a controversial initiative to an established public healthcare operation serving the nation.

The service has maintained an average ambulance response time of approximately 15 minutes nationwide, though officials have expressed ambitions to reduce this to under 10 minutes. To mark the milestone, authorities issued a commemorative postage stamp and launched a new mobile application. Service leadership outlined expansion plans including increasing the operational fleet to around 400 ambulances, establishing additional deployment locations at police stations, and introducing motorcycle emergency response units in congested urban areas.

Health Minister Jayatissa announced a significant expansion of resources, stating that 100 additional ambulances would be added to the fleet following arrangements made during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Sri Lanka. Indian High Commissioner Jha confirmed India's ongoing commitment to supporting the service's development, noting that current efforts aim to reduce response times further. However, sources differ slightly on baseline response times, with the High Commissioner referencing 13 minutes rather than the 15 minutes cited by service leadership.

MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, who played a founding role in establishing the service, reflected on the initiative's challenging early years, describing how the program faced criticism before gaining public trust. Service personnel were recognized for their decade-long commitment to emergency medical response across the country.