Sri Lanka: Emergency ambulance service suspended

Amid the fuel shortage in Sri Lanka, the 1990 emergency ambulance service has been suspended in several areas.

The Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service had urged the public to refrain from calling the 1990 emergency ambulance service in the affected areas, Colombo Gazette reported.

A full list of the specific areas in the respective districts where the Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service will not be available has been published.

Accordingly, the 1990 Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service will not be available in parts of Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Badulla, Monaragala, Hambantota, Matara, Galle, Kalutara, Kegalla, Ratnapura, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu Districts, according to Colombo Gazette.

Earlier, a ship containing 3,700 metric tonnes of Liquified Petroleum Gas arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Another ship carrying 3,740 metric tonnes of gas is expected to arrive in the island nation today, Daily Mirror reported citing the Presidential Secretariat.

The statement added that the officers were instructed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to carry out the unloading and distribution of LP gas as soon as the ship arrives at Kerawalapitiya at 3 p.m.

The third ship with 3,200 metric tonnes of gas will arrive in the island nation on Friday and a total of 33,000 metric tonnes of gas is ordered for this month, local media reported.

Furthermore, the statement mentioned that Litro Gas company chairman Muditha Peiris had said that the distribution of the gas will be regular and systematic from Tuesday and the problem regarding domestic LP gas demand will be completely evaded by the end of this month.

Notably, Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas, and fuel across the island nation.

The economic crisis has particularly impacted food security, agriculture, livelihoods, and access to health services.

Sri Lanka is one of the few nations named by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is expected to go without food due to the global food shortage expected this year.