Colombo, March 31: Sri Lanka is so broke it cannot maintain its ambulance services. It has put up huge advertisements in daily papers that “its ambulance services” are for “adoption”
The advertisement in Daily Financial Times reads, “We cannot maintain the ambulance services for want of money. We cannot run the services in this financial year 2023. If we close ambulance services, then there will be severe problem in the health front. Anybody can come forward and adopt our ambulances.”
The cost of adoption if LKR Five Million – roughly Rs 12.50 lakh in Indian Currency.
The “1990 Ambulance Service” as it is popularly known was gifted by India to Sri Lanka in 2016. About 88 ambulances were put on service in Sri Lanka’s Western and Southern provinces. However, the Island Nation’s finances are so precarious it cannot run the services anymore.
About 800 technicians of Sri Lanka were given training in India to run the ambulances. Sri Lanka started the services under semi-government model on ‘not for profit’ basis under the Ministry of Health, Government of Sri Lanka.
With a fleet of 297 ambulances, the service provides critical response to medical emergencies all over Sri Lanka’s nine provinces. It has responded to over 14 lakh cases till date, including during the pandemic and attends to over 1000 emergency cases daily.
However, while the service provider LKR 3.9 billion from the government to run the services, the Sri Lanka treasury however, has provided only LKR 2.5 billion. Though Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe – wjho also holds the finance portfolio – has directed the Treasury to release funds. But the government appears to be struggling to fund even crucial requirements.
The Sri Lankan government is making desperate efforts to keep afloat its battered economy. In this backdrop, the government of Sri Lanka has put up huge advertisements to “adopt” the ambulances and run the services. It remains to be seen in any Corporate Giant comes forward to “adopt” this ambulance services.
EOM
