Materia Medica Malaysiana

Sabah’s flying doctors are here to stay

KOTA KINABALU: The “flying doctor”, the medicine man who flits from place to place in a plane across the vast landscape of Sabah, will continue to be a familiar sight among the state's rural people.
Their service is needed, as there are still villages that could not be reached by road, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.
He added, however, that the number of kampungs covered by the flying doctor service had reduced because roads already connected many villages.
At present 45 villages are being served by flying doctors, compared with about 70 in recent years.
In 2003, more than 23,660 people received outpatient treatment through the flying doctor service while 1,704 rural women were provided antenatal treatment and 200 others received postnatal treatment. A total of 750 people were also immunised,
The ministry spends up to RM1.5mil annually to maintain the service, largely on aircraft charter, Dr Chua, an MCA vice-president, told reporters at the party’s 56th anniversary dinner here on Friday.
The minister said better healthcare services were in store for the state's rural communities with the provision of mobile clinics under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.