Emergency medical airlift service in Sabah soon

Flying Doctor Service in Sarawak

KOTA KINABALU: An emergency medical airlift service to rush rural folk to the closest major hospital will begin in Sabah sometime this year.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said two helicopters would be used for the emergency airlift service that would see patients in remote areas being flown hospitals in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan or Tawau.

“We will be calling for tenders for this service soon as we hope to get the emergency airlift service in operation by this year, said the MCA deputy president after attending the Sabah MCA Chinese New Year gathering at the Kota Kinabalu High School here Friday.

Also present was Sabah Yang DiPertua Negri Datuk Juhar Mahiruddin, State Assembly Speaker Datuk Salleh Tun Said, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and state MCA chief Datuk Edward Khoo.

He said the emergency medical airlift would be in addition to Ministry’s flying doctor service that was currently serving some 40 remote villages in Sabah.

Liow said his ministry was also looking at increasing the number of four-wheel drive vehicles being used as mobile clinics to augment the existing 16 units to better serve rural folk in the state.

He said ministry was also seeking assistance from the 1Malaysia Development Corporation for a boat-based mobile clinic to serve riverine communities along Sungai Kinabatangan.

The district hospitals in northern Kota Marudu and southwest Beaufort district would also be upgraded to specialist hospitals under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

To a question, he said the refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 was on track and was due to be completed by April.

“The construction in ongoing but I have instructed that the work be speeded up so that everything is done by April,” Liow added.

p/s: we hope the aircharge not at patient account.