The 1990 Suwa Seriya Foundation has announced plans to introduce a motorcycle-based emergency medical service intended to reach patients faster than ambulances can in heavy traffic.

The foundation said the service is designed to cut response times and improve access to emergency care, particularly in areas where traffic congestion and blocked roads routinely delay ambulances, Ada Derana reported. Foundation Chairman Major Niroshan Ratnayake told NewsFirst that plans are also in place to increase the current number of ambulances.

The motorcycle units will operate mainly in densely populated urban areas, focusing on locations where ambulances struggle to reach patients quickly. Their central purpose is to deliver immediate first aid and basic medical support in the interval before an ambulance arrives, rather than to transport patients.

Under the programme, specially trained medical officers will be deployed on motorcycles carrying essential medicines and medical equipment. The foundation expects to launch the initiative as a pilot before the end of this year, with Colombo and other major urban centres among the first locations targeted.

Context

Suwa Seriya operates Sri Lanka’s free national pre-hospital ambulance service, reached on the 1990 hotline. Established on July 28, 2016 with Indian government assistance, it marked its 10th anniversary this week. Now running round the clock islandwide, it is one of the country’s most heavily used public services and has retained support across party lines.

The service opened a new head office at Horton Place, Colombo 07, in April, when it operated 272 ambulances nationwide and had set a target of expanding the fleet to 400 vehicles to improve coverage and response times.

Motorcycle-borne first responders are used in a number of countries to beat congestion in dense cities, where a responder on two wheels can begin treatment minutes before a transporting vehicle arrives.

The foundation has not announced how many motorcycles will be deployed in the pilot, nor a specific launch date.