MCA Sabah urges MOH to ensure Flying Doctor Service suspension does not leave rural communities behind

 

WANITA MCA Sabah has urged the Health Ministry (MOH) to ensure that the temporary suspension of Sarawak’s Flying Doctor Service (FDS) does not leave remote communities without access to essential healthcare.

The ministry suspended FDS operations following the recent helicopter crash in Long Lellang to investigate the incident and review the service’s safety and operational mechanisms.

While acknowledging the need to prioritise safety, Wanita MCA Sabah chairperson Datuk Dr Pamela Yong said the government must balance those concerns against the healthcare needs of rural communities that depend on the service.

“The implications of this decision need to be carefully balanced by the authorities and come up with a solution that does not leave rural communities without access to essential healthcare during this temporary suspension,” she said.

Yong called on the ministry to clarify how long the suspension was expected to last and, more importantly, to ensure that no one was deprived of timely medical care while investigations were underway.

“No rakyat, regardless of where they live, should be left behind,” she stressed.

The Flying Doctor Service is a critical lifeline for isolated settlements deep within Sarawak’s interior, where residents often rely on helicopters to receive medical treatment because journeys to the nearest clinic or hospital can take between five and eight hours by river and road.

Sarawak currently has only eight aircraft operating under the FDS, including the BO-105 helicopter involved in the Long Lellang crash.

Yong said the temporary suspension highlighted the need for a practical contingency plan, particularly as Malaysia’s public healthcare system was already under pressure from doctor shortages.

She also noted that many local doctors remained reluctant to serve in East Malaysia, making it even more important that alternative healthcare arrangements did not further compromise access for vulnerable communities.

“The government has to put forward a proper and practical contingency plan to ensure that healthcare services remain accessible to these vulnerable communities,” she added.

While temporary mobile clinics might appear to be an alternative, Yong said they would face significant logistical challenges and were unlikely to provide the same level of access as the Flying Doctor Service.

For many indigenous communities in Sarawak’s remote interior, she continued, FDS medical teams remained their only reliable source of treatment and healthcare assistance.

She urged the ministry to reconsider the suspension or, at the very least, implement an immediate and effective alternative mechanism while safety reviews were being carried out.

“The government has to ensure that safety concerns are addressed without compromising the basic right of rural and remote communities to access essential healthcare,” she said. ‒  Focus  Malaysia