MMA seeks transport safety overhaul

 KUCHING: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called on the federal government to immediately overhaul the country’s healthcare transportation system.
 
The call was made following the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash in Long Lellangthat claimed five lives.
 
Its president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said the Long Lellang helicopter tragedy must become a national turning point for healthcare transport safety.
 
He said the tragedy should not be remembered merely as another aviation accident, but as a wake-up call to strengthen the protection of healthcare workers serving remote communities.
 
“The five lives lost at Long Lellang must mark a turning point. Compassion after a tragedy is important. Prevention before the next tragedy is a duty,” he said in a statement today.
 
The crash claimed the lives of pilot Capt Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, and staff nurses Debra Moset and Jessie Paya Jok while they were delivering essential healthcare services to Sarawak’s interior.
 
Dr Thirunavukarasu said the incident was not an isolated case, pointing to previous FDS accidents and emergency landings in Cameron Highlands, Sabah and Sarawak over recent years, as well as recurring ambulance crashes nationwide.
 
“These incidents must no longer be treated separately and forgotten after the headlines fade,” he said.
 
Among the association’s strongest recommendations is the immediate implementation of independent safety verification for all aircraft, ambulances, boats and other vehicles used for healthcare missions.
 
He stressed that no transport asset should be deployed simply because it is available or tied to an existing contract.
 
“Administrative urgency, operational pressure or contractual convenience must never override the safety of personnel,” he said.
 
The MMA also urged Putrajaya to establish a multidisciplinary national task force to conduct a comprehensive audit of the FDS, Medevac operations, ambulance services and medical boat transport across Malaysia.
 
The proposed task force should include frontline clinicians, nurses, assistant medical officers, emergency physicians, aviation and transport safety experts, regulators, and representatives from Sabah and Sarawak.
 
Its review, the association said, should examine aircraft suitability, maintenance standards, contractor selection, weather protocols, staff fatigue, emergency equipment, safety training and incident reporting, with findings made public alongside a clear implementation timeline.
 
Dr Thirunavukarasu emphasised that healthcare aviation should be recognised primarily as a clinical service rather than merely an aviation contract.
 
“Clinical requirements must determine the aircraft, medical equipment, staffing, training and operating procedures. Clinical governance must lead, while procurement and corporate governance must support it,” he said.
 
The association maintained that rural communities remain heavily dependent on the FDS and made it clear it was not advocating its discontinuation.
 
Instead, it said the objective is to ensure that doctors, nurses and medical personnel are never expected to accept avoidable risks while carrying out official duties.
 
“Those sent to save lives must never be asked to surrender their own protection as a condition of service,” Dr Thirunavukarasu said.