Sri Lanka's 1990 Suwa Seriya emergency ambulance service celebrated its tenth anniversary on July 28, reflecting on its growth from a contested initiative to a widely-used public facility handling approximately 1,000 incidents daily.

The Suwa Seriya ambulance service reached a decade milestone since its inaugural vehicle was dispatched from Galle Face in 2016. Opposition MP Harsha de Silva, credited as the driving force behind the project, used the occasion to review the service's trajectory and acknowledge various stakeholders who contributed to its establishment and growth.

According to de Silva, the service's launch encountered significant resistance from the Government Medical Officers' Association and certain political factions. Despite these challenges, the initiative has expanded substantially over the past ten years. The service now responds to approximately 1,000 emergency calls daily while covering nearly 30,000 kilometres throughout the country. De Silva highlighted that ambulances can typically reach locations with advanced medical equipment within an average of thirteen minutes.

The former initiative benefited from substantial international support. De Silva credited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for their backing, as well as India's contribution of an initial USD 23 million grant. He also acknowledged the operational leadership of CEO Dr. Sohan De Silva and the board's vision under Dumindra Ratnayake, alongside the contributions of over 1,500 staff members.

With new management appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the previous year, de Silva expressed confidence in the service's continued development, calling for maintained and enhanced standards in emergency medical response for the country's population.