Top Danish emergency services company to invest in Sri Lanka

The world leading international Emergency Services Company, Falck (Denmark) has acquired 50 percent of Sri Lankan Emergency Medical Services (EMS) company, Med1 (Pvt) Limited. Med1 plans to launch emergency medical response services in the Colombo area by the end of 2012.

“The partnership between Med1 and Falck not only enables us to implement a high-class emergency ambulance service in Colombo; it will also ensure we have the future resources and capacity required to expand our coverage across Sri Lanka.Our goal is to implement a reliable, high quality service that is also affordable,” said Donnie Woodyard Jr, Med1 CEO.

Falck’s initial investment will be focused on operationalising EMS in Colombo. This will include further development ofMed1’s, 24-hour, trilingual dispatching center, putting a modern fleet of European standard ambulances and response vehicles on the road, and hiring and training hundreds of new medical care providers to offer international quality medical care in Sri Lanka.

“The goal is to give Sri Lankans peace of mind, knowing that during a medical emergency, help is only a phone call away,” said Woodyard. “With the system we are setting up, that peace of mind can become a reality. By simply making a short phone call to our hotline, you can have highly trained professionals, prepared to begin immediate treatment, at your door within minutes. For many, this can mean the difference between life and death.”

“We are pleased to partner with the founders of Med1 in Sri Lanka and are looking forward to quickly providing high quality Emergency Medical Services in case of sickness or injuries in Sri Lanka,” said Anders Delcomyn Larsen, Falck Executive Vice President, EMS Europe and Asia.

Med1 is a Sri Lankan Board of Investment approved company established in 2011 to implement international standard Emergency Medical Services in Sri Lanka. Med1’s current offerings include: medical and first aid training, a public access defibrillation program, and a 24-hour, trilingual first aid advice line.

The BOI Chairman/Director General M.M.C Ferdinando stated “this agreement is a very important one for Sri Lanka as it will introduce the country and her people to a standard of world class out of hospital health service. As many will appreciate, Falck, which is the partner and shareholder of the investor Med 1, is one of the world leaders in emergency ambulance services. Hence this agreement with the BOI is very significant since it will contribute in bringing health services in the country up to international standards, in this vital area.

“Falck is one of the world leaders in their field, having a presence in 35 countries globally. It is already one of the main companies in Europe for emergency ambulance services. Falck own 50% of Med 1, who signed an agreement with the BOI and it is a very positive fact that recently they have publicly stated that Sri Lanka will be their entry point in Asia. I will also add that emergency ambulance services are a vital part of any modern medical systems and therefore expect that once this service begins, it will impact very positively on key economic sectors such as tourism, trade and investment.”

Many visitors to the island whether tourists, entrepreneurs or investors will be greatly reassured that a world leader in emergency ambulance services now has a presence in the island. In addition, this service will further strengthen the BOI objective to build up a capacity in the country to deal with the burgeoning medical Tourism sector”.

Falck is one of the largest multinational ambulance services provider globally. Falck is currently operational in over 30 countries with1800+ ambulances responding to more than two million emergency calls each year.

Falck is a Nordic based organization with business activities in 35 countries on five continents. It consists of four different business areas: Assistance, Emergency, Healthcare and Training. Falck’s activities are directed at preventing accidents and disease; providing assistance in situations of emergency, accidents or need; and helping people move on with their lives after illness or accidents. Falck is the largest privately owned ambulance company in Europe and also runs extensive ambulance services in the US and Latin America, the largest privately operated firefighting service in Europe and is a global leader in rescue and safety courses.