India will provide a grant to expand Sri Lanka’s national emergency ambulance service, with the island’s cabinet approving a proposal to sign an agreement with New Delhi, a minister said yesterday. Sri Lanka’s Cabinet spokesperson and Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said the cabinet had approved the proposal to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India for the grant. India’s Health Minister J P Nadda, who arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday, will formalise the agreement today. 

 

The expansion will add 100 ambulances to the existing fleet of 322 vehicles operated by the country’s free emergency ambulance service, known as 1990 Suwa Seriya.

 

The expansion follows a commitment made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025. The service was launched in 2016 with Indian grant assistance of USD 7.5 million and has since expanded into a nationwide emergency response network.