BY RUWANI FONSEKA Suwaseriya ambulance services turned down calls for ambulance services from the injured within Gotagogama as they were unable to breakthrough barricades set up by the military, says Suwaseriya Chairman Dumindra Rathnayake. He made this statement while speaking to The Morning today (22). "We received the first call and an ambulance was dispatched to pick up an injured person. That individual was a journalist and we ensured the patient was taken to the hospital. Thereafter, we received several calls from people within Gotagogama and unfortunately Suwaseriya had to make a decision to decline the service as we have had bad experiences in the past when two of our ambulances were attacked by protestors. Due to this, we informed the people who called that unless they bring the patients out of the barricaded area, we were unable to provide our services," said Rathnayake. He further noted that this decision was taken based on the greater good of the people. "We serve over 1600 patients daily. When one ambulance is damaged, the lives of over 50 patients are compromised and we will not be able to meet the demands of the general public. We have no political affiliation whatsoever, and all we are called to do is serve the nation," he commented. Several posts circulated on social media stated that the free service offered by the islandwide ambulance service had refused to attend to patients and denied emergency medical care.