MMA: Boost safety of flying doctor service

The Health Ministry and state government have been urged to adopt practical measures to enhance the safety of the flying doctor service in Sarawak.
In making the call, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sarawak branch chairman Dr Kong Hie Ling suggested that they study the safety record of flying doctor services in other countries like Australia and New Zealand.
“The use of twin-engine helicopters may be considered (for flying doctors),” she said at the branch’s 33rd annual installation dinner here on Saturday.
Flying doctors in the state now use single-engine Bell helicopters to reach the many villages in the interiors.
Dr Kong said the medical profession was aware of the risks that flying doctors were exposed to in travelling in helicopters to carry out their tasks.
Her concern came in light of crashes involving three Bell helicopters in the state in a year.
The last incident in Ulu Baleh on the Sarawak-Kalimantan border two weeks ago killed three of the four people on board.
Source