KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Kuala Langat MP Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi today called for equal compensation for all five people killed in last month’s Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) lawmaker from Selangor expressed disappointment that no compensation for the victims of the Long Lellang tragedy was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the tabling of Budget 2027 in Parliament.
“It is disappointing that there appears to be not even the slightest sense of sympathy, given the absence of any announcement of assistance or compensation for the families of the victims, despite the Sarawak state government having provided RM100,000 to each victim’s family,” said Dr Ahmad Yunus in the debate on Budget 2027 in Dewan Rakyat today.
“I would also like to propose that incentives and facilities for medical teams serving via river and sea routes be considered, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak.”
In a statement last Thursday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced federal payouts of at least RM130,000 to each family of four ministry staff killed in the FDS chopper crash, comprising payment in lieu of unused leave (GCR), derivative gratuity, funeral management assistance, and death ex-gratia payment.
The four deceased health workers from MOH were medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin from Kelantan, as well as assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry and staff nurses Jessie Paya Jok and Debra Moset.
However, the MOH excluded mention of any federal payout for the family of the fifth victim who perished in the September 8 tragedy in Long Lellang, Miri, Sarawak: pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, who was employed by helicopter operator Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd.
Jessie’s widower, Larry Bilong Kule, reportedly described the federal payments as monies owed to the victims’ next-of-kin based on their terms of service, not “compensation”.
When asked if Putrajaya should provide equal compensation for all five victims, including the pilot, who was a private-sector worker, Dr Ahmad Yunus agreed: “In my opinion, equal compensation should be given to the families of all the victims.”
He pointed out that Zainol – who was survived by his widow, Nor Izzati Syamimi Suhaimi, and two young children – was part of the medical team. “The rest can get payments based on the victims’ eligibility according to their rank in the civil service.”
Last Friday, the Sarawak state government presented RM100,000 aid to each of the five victims’ families at a ceremony in Kuching, besides education sponsorships from Year One of primary school until PhD level, for their children.
In Parliament, Dr Ahmad Yunus also welcomed the proposed increase in the Air Health Service Incentive from RM30 to RM100 per flight under Budget 2027, but said financial incentives alone were insufficient without assurances of operational safety.
“Will the government conduct a comprehensive safety audit, strengthen aircraft maintenance, and provide alternative arrangements when air operations are suspended due to weather conditions or safety risks?”
In a post on X today, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib pointed out that the value of RM30 in 1978, when the Air Health Service Incentive was created, is equivalent in purchasing power to RM110 today, taking inflation into account.
“Raising it to RM100 doesn’t make much difference. It is actually less.”
