23 February 2016 10:43 pm
The GMOA questioned why a cabinet paper seeking approval for the setting up of an Indian ambulance service was not presented by the Minister of Health, Rajitha Senaratne.
Speaking at a media conference, GMOA Secretary Dr. Nalinda Herath said when the country already had plenty of ambulance services run by the government, private companies and non-governmental organizations, a feasibility study by the government should have been launched on the necessity of bringing in another Emergency Ambulance Service.
He alleged that Indian personnel will flow into Sri Lanka with the implementation of India-aided Emergency Ambulance handled by the Hyderabad-based GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK-EMRI) in the Southern and Western parts of the country. “The government said the health sector would not be affected by the proposed ETCA. Meanwhile, they had decided to set up an Indian run ambulance service which will be employing only Indians, and not Lankans, according to the agreement,” he said.
“If the new ambulance service is that essential, our government should only procure the ambulances from them, so that qualified Lankan health workers can be employed in the service. All the opportunities for locals to apply for jobs in the so-called ambulance service have been restricted,” he charged.
They questioned whether the ambulance service was a life-saving emergency service consisting of information technology equipment, communication facilities and police service or simply a transport service from one hospital to the other.
The GMOA said the ambulance service would be a threat to national security because all the information of citizens living in the Western and Southern Provinces could be gathered by the Indian government through the proposed ambulance service. (Piyumi Fonseka)