By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: Healthcare workers serving remote communities in Sarawak deserve better protection, particularly as the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) remains a lifeline for communities with limited access to hospitals and clinics, says Sarawak rights activist Peter John Jaban.
His call follows the helicopter crash at Long Lellang on Sept 8, which claimed five lives, including four Ministry of Health (MOH) personnel serving under the FDS.
Peter John extended his condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all five victims, saying the healthcare workers had been travelling to a remote indigenous community to provide essential medical services.
“The victims deserved to return home safely after carrying out their duties,” he said in a statement today.
Peter John stressed that he was not pre-judging the cause of the crash, which should be determined through the official accident investigation.
However, he said the tragedy should also prompt a broader review of the safety arrangements surrounding the FDS, particularly because the service operates in some of Sarawak’s most remote areas.
“The Flying Doctor Service exists because many communities in Sarawak are isolated and cannot easily access hospitals and clinics.
“Precisely because these communities are remote, the safety arrangements must be exceptionally robust,” he said
Peter said the MOH, helicopter operator and Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) each had responsibilities within their respective areas and should ensure that appropriate safety standards were maintained.
Among the matters he said should be reviewed are the selection and monitoring of helicopter operators, aircraft maintenance and airworthiness, pilot qualifications and duty hours, weather and operational risk assessments, landing-site conditions, communications and emergency response arrangements.
He also called for greater clarity on the contractual and insurance arrangements governing the FDS, including how liability and compensation are handled in the event of an accident.
“Any indemnity provisions in the FDS contract should be properly explained, particularly if they affect the responsibilities of the parties involved or the rights of victims and their families,” he added.
He stressed that these were questions of accountability and should not be taken as accusations against any particular party before the investigation is completed.
Peter John urged the federal government and MOH to conduct a comprehensive safety review of FDS operations in Sarawak rather than limiting the assessment to the aircraft involved in the latest crash.
The review, he said, should also examine search-and-rescue capabilities, communications systems, landing facilities and the overall regulatory framework governing FDS operations.
He called for the official investigation to be conducted independently, transparently and comprehensively, with its findings made public when completed.
“If weaknesses are identified, they must be corrected. And if negligence or breaches of regulations are established, the appropriate parties must be held accountable according to law,” he said.
Peter John said the tragedy should ultimately lead to improvements in the safety of healthcare workers and the reliability of medical services for remote communities.
“The healthcare workers of Sarawak deserve better protection, and the people of Sarawak deserve a Flying Doctor Service that is not only available, but safe, properly regulated and worthy of the trust placed in it,” he said. — DayakDaily
