Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has issued a clarification following reports of staff of the ‘Suwa Seriya’ free ambulance service in Sri Lanka leaving the country.
Taking to ‘X’, MP de Silva acknowledged that the 1990 Suwa Seriya was losing staff to migration.
The Parliamentarian said that, however, the ambulance service was actively recruiting, which has seen roughly a 20% success rate and consists of tough criteria and low salaries.
He pointed out that 41 out of 297 locations in Sri Lanka are offline and that 4 out of 20 locations in Colombo are idle; ie 20% and not 60% as reported in the media.
Further clarifying the offline status of the ambulance service, MP de Silva said that the service is offline only 14% islandwide and 20% is for the Colombo District.
The MP alleged that this may be a result of certain elements internally attempting to bring the service down, which unfortunately happens in Sri Lanka.
“Our staff is totally dedicated and some are volunteering to shift around while others shifted. None of the critical locations are offline. Fear not, CEO @kcsdesilva head of medical ops Dr Srilal and unsung 1,250 heroes led by 24×7 Chair @DumindraR and board will keep this country’s most loved service going,” he assured. (NewsWire)
