Spare Your Time To Go Rural, Doctors Told

MIRI, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Doctors and medical personnel in Sarawak have been asked to spare their time to care for the health needs of the rural population.
In making the call, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Government efforts alone were not enough to address malnutrition and other health problems in the state considering the size of the areas to be covered.
"With about 124,000 square kilometre area to cover and over 7,000 villages spread out throughout the state, with some inaccessible except by air, it's difficult to provide sufficient medical care and other supplies," he said.
Proper organisation was also needed for complementary efforts to work out, he said when launching the Fly Care Programme, a community service jointly initiated by Fly Asian Express and a local newspaper "Eastern Times" last night.
Dr Chan said: "We do have a pool of generous people who are always ready to help carry out social services for the rural population but they need people who can come forward to organise them in channelling assistance."
Praising the Fly Care Programme as a commendable effort, he urged corporate bodies and the public to contribute towards the project.
Meanwhile, Fly Asian Express chief executive officer Raja Azmi Razali said the airline's involvement in the programme stemmed from the realisation on the importance of air connectivity for the people in Sarawak.
Under the programme, the airline would provide airlift services free of charge to fly medical personnel, equipment and supplies to targeted areas, while Eastern Times would publish public messages to garner support and participation.
The programme's first target area is Pulau Bruit, an island settlement in Sarawak's central region, next month.