Langkawi gets its sea ambulance

Star: LANGKAWI: The much-awaited sea ambulance has finally arrived in Lang­kawi.
The sea ambulance is a ferry which has been equipped with the latest medical equipment. It also has a room for patients and a medical team to accompany them during the journey.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ferry would be used to send patients to the mainland for treatment and for sea rescue.
“The people in Langkawi had been asking for such an ambulance and now the Government has fulfilled its promise to provide one.
“Patients from Langkawi previously were transferred using the normal ferry or a chartered ferry,” he told re­­porters after jointly launching the sea ambulance with Transport Minister Da­­­­tuk Seri Ong Tee Keat at the Telaga Harbour Park here yesterday.
Liow said the ministry spent about RM500,000 last year to charter ferries to send patients with chronic illnesses to the mainland, adding that with this sea ambulance, the ministry was able to reduce costs and dependency on such ferries.
“In 2007 and 2008, 154 and 142 pa­­tients respectively were sent to mainland hospitals using these ferries.”
During the same press conference, Ong said that the sea ambulance in Langkawi was among seven approved under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plan.
“The other six sea ambulances were placed in Port Klang, Mersing, Pulau Tio­­man, Pulau Pangkor, Kuala Tereng­ganu and Labuan. The ambulances cost RM56mil.”
On another note, Liow said that the Government would beef up its preven­tive measures to prevent the spread of influenza A (H1N1) to the country.
“I will be attending a conference with my counterparts from Asean to discuss ways that we could work together to prevent the virus from entering our countries. So far, the A (H1N1) has not not hit any South-East Asian countries.”