KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni has proposed insurance coverage for passengers on Flying Doctor Service (FDS) missions in the wake of the Long Lellang tragedy.
Lukanisman, who is Sibuti MP and a former deputy health minister, went to Miri, Sarawak, last Wednesday to meet with families of the five people killed in an FDS helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram, the previous day.
He said he shared proposals with his successor, Hanifah Hajar Taib, prior to their meetings with the next-of-kin of the deceased, on what the Ministry of Health (MOH) should do in the wake of the national tragedy.
According to Lukanisman, Hanifah also provided her views “and everything leads to the Decision-Making Authority, especially the Ministry of Finance and JPA (Public Service Department)”.
“I asked that the Minister ensure the families’ welfare and affairs. The service provider should also be responsible, especially in relation to insurance for passengers and this will definitely involve legislation,” Lukanisman posted on his Facebook page yesterday.
The helicopter assets used in FDS are contracted from the private sector, but the service provider is the federal government, specifically the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Health care workers and the general public have criticised a requirement for staff to sign liability waivers – which fully indemnify the government against all liabilities from injury, disability, or death – before flying on the FDS.
Lukanisman also said FDS operations at 84 locations should be halted “because the trauma of this tragedy will surely be felt by other FDS teams”, besides calling for a thorough inspection of asset specifications, especially helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
The Sarawakian lawmaker acknowledged that a suspension would affect health care delivery to communities living in the interiors, but suggested alternative land routes “although difficult with bad road conditions”.
“Regarding the RM30 helicopter travel allowance, this is also a longstanding issue, and it is a payment that is received. I emphasise that the proposal to JPA needs to be strongly pushed, together with the other allowances in the health service,” he said.
Lukanisman’s statement was posted on Facebook at 1.31pm yesterday, a few hours before Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad issued a statement to announce a temporary suspension of FDS operations in Sarawak, pending safety and operational reviews.
MOH plans to continue medical emergency evacuation (Medevac) services in cooperation with the Fire and Rescue Department and the Malaysian Armed Forces.
The FDS suspension came after Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, which operated the helicopter in the Long Lellang crash, reportedly voluntarily grounded its entire fleet of BO-105 helicopters and other aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce 250-series engines as a precautionary measure, not because of technical failures.
The FDS suspension came after Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, which operated the helicopter in the Long Lellang crash, reportedly voluntarily grounded its entire fleet of BO-105 helicopters and other aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce 250-series engines as a precautionary measure, not because of technical failures.
Previously, at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Dzulkefly ruled out suspending the FDS service, saying instead that the MOH would “double down” on continuing its air medical operations for universal health coverage. Neither did he announce safety reviews of FDS aircraft then, passing the buck to other agencies instead.
Dzulkefly’s special functions officer, Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda, revealed yesterday that the health minister proposed last November a 100 per cent increase in the Air Health Service Incentive Payment allowance, which has been unchanged since 1978, from RM30 to at least RM60. Many health workers have condemned the proposed RM60 amount.
Lukanisman expressed condolences to the families of pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, staff nurse Debra Moset, and staff nurse Jessie Paya Jok, naming each one of them in his Facebook post.
He related how Jessie Paya’s child had asked him, “How is my mummy?”. “I froze and couldn’t answer,” Lukanisman wrote.
The deputy foreign minister said a session by the Miri district police chief and Hanifah to provide explanations to the families ran under “controlled conditions”, adding: “I could feel the emotions of the affected families”.
Until today, Dzulkefly has yet to name the victims to pay them tribute specifically. The health minister also has yet to meet the victims’ families, sending his political secretary to Miri in his stead because he is currently attending the 17th Asean Health Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
