MIRI, Oct 5 — The families of two Sarawakian health care workers killed in last month’s Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash say they expected more support from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Almost a month after the September 8 crash in Long Lellang here, Alexson Adit Henry’s widow, Stephanie Essah Incham, is left to manage a car loan and the costs of raising their two young children, including a two-year-old who still requires formula and diapers.
Jessie Paya Jok’s widower, Larry Bilong Kule, said his wife’s funeral cost more than RM40,000, including about RM20,000 for her coffin, RM4,600 for her burial, and RM2,000 to RM3,000 a day during seven days and seven nights of prayers, including food and transportation for relatives who travelled from their villages.
Both families said they have submitted documents for federal benefits, but weren’t told exactly how much ex-gratia they would receive or when the process would be completed.
Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, which operated the helicopter, covered the funeral expenses instead, while donations from health care workers, politicians, and community groups helped ease some of the financial burden on their families following the crash.
During separate interviews with CodeBlue last Friday at the homes of the late Alexson and Jessie in Miri, Sarawak, their families said they expected more from MOH because the U5 assistant medical officer and U5 staff nurse respectively had died while carrying out their duties in the national health service.
“The Malaysian government has been silent so far. Even the health minister has not announced any assistance or compensation. This was not an ordinary accident; they were serving people in remote areas,” Alexson’s father, Henry Empurai, told CodeBlue.
Henry urged Putrajaya to support Stephanie, a homemaker with a degree in business administration, and her two children, because Alexson was the family’s sole breadwinner. Stephanie hopes to secure a permanent government job to support her family as a single mother.
The Sarawak state government has stepped in to offer RM100,000 to each of the five victims’ families, as well as education assistance for their children, despite the victims being federal health care workers under MOH. The state government’s donations haven’t been made yet.
Alexson’s sister, Annastasia Luyah Henry, described the education assistance as “forward looking”, saying it would ease some of the family’s burden. “At least, we can be confident that education is secured for the kids,” she told CodeBlue.
For 30-year-old Stephanie, whose daughter and son are aged five and two respectively, and 43-year-old Larry, whose two younger children are 15 and 12 (he has two other adult children), the education assistance could provide support well beyond the immediate aftermath of the crash.
The interviews with CodeBlue didn’t just involve Alexson’s and Jessie’s surviving spouses, with six to seven other adult members of both families sitting in on the interviews.
Larry: ‘Every Day, I Begged’ For Assistance From MOH
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said last September 21 that MOH was working with the Public Service Department’s (JPA) Pension Division and the Finance Ministry to expedite ex-gratia payments, retirement benefits, and other claims for the victims’ families. He did not provide details on the amount of ex-gratia or when the payments would be made.
For Larry, the issue was not how much the families would eventually receive, but the lack of immediate support after Jessie’s death. He expected MOH, as Jessie’s employer, to take responsibility for the immediate costs following his wife’s passing.
“For those of us who work in the private sector, if there is a death or injury at work, the company is responsible. I expected that from MOH,” Larry told CodeBlue. He works offshore for a private oil and gas company.
“What we wanted at that time, after the crash, was immediate assistance. MOH is talking about ex-gratia, pension – these are things that come two or three months later. We needed immediate assistance,” he said.
Larry repeatedly sought answers from the Miri divisional health office in the days after the crash but felt he had to beg for assistance rather than being told what support was available.
“I felt like I was begging them, asking for help at the time. Every day, I begged – how could you assist?” he said.
The Miri divisional health office recently handed donations to both families, after a public fundraising drive by the Sarawak state health department.
The lack of federal support made Larry question whether MOH valued the contributions that FDS workers made to the ministry and communities in remote areas.
“My wife received testimonials from people everywhere about her service and dedication – she was a reflection of MOH and gave the ministry a good name. How can they not see that?” he said. “It’s not that we are money-minded (‘mata duitan’). We are just asking for their rights.”
“They couldn’t even take care of her funeral.”
Larry estimated ex-gratia payments to be RM50,000, based on Jessie’s years in service, whereas Stephanie expected RM20,000, based on a Treasury circular on the Ex-Gratia Work Disaster Scheme for federal civil servants.
Larry, however, took issue with the term “ex-gratia”, which he understood as “sagu hati” or consolation payment. “We’re talking about lives here. Are their lives that cheap to get ‘sagu hati’?”
Pension, he noted, isn’t a form of compensation, but a benefit already guaranteed to government employees. “This is already in their contract. Even if it’s a normal death, they will get the pension.”
“We hope MOH will give some kind of compensation because they died while on duty,” Larry added.
Similarly, Henry called for additional financial assistance from the federal government beyond the ex-gratia payments owed, citing necessities like formula milk and diapers that his daughter-in-law needs to buy for her child.
“Cost of living is high now. If we just rely on that [ex-gratia payments], it will only last for two to three months, not even a year. It won’t be enough to cover the cost of living.”
Families Want Answers On FDS Crash, Safety Review
The Miri families also demanded answers about the crash and what will be done to prevent a similar tragedy involving FDS workers.
Alexson’s family wants to know what caused the crash and how the government will improve the safety of FDS operations.
“The least we want to know is what caused this accident and how the government will mitigate the situation,” said Annastasia. Her family also questioned the condition and age of the helicopter.
“Let these five heroes be the last to lose their lives. What can the government do in terms of health care infrastructure and assets? We know this asset is very old. Why did they choose this old asset? That’s one thing that is on our minds.” she added.
Larry, an oil and gas worker, said FDS health care workers should receive training on how to respond to helicopter emergencies, similar to the safety training provided to workers in other high-risk industries.
Such training can help health care workers travelling by helicopter to remote communities respond to emergencies if something goes wrong during a flight.
Neither family has so far considered legal action over the crash. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is only expected to release its preliminary report on the September 8 helicopter crash within 30 days at the earliest, while police investigations reportedly couldn’t identify the cause of the incident.
The Public Authorities Protection Act 1948 imposes a three-year statute of limitations on lawsuits against the government or individuals executing public duties.
The FDS crash killed all five people on board a BO-105 helicopter, including four MOH health care workers – Alexson, Jessie, staff nurse Debra Moset, and medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin – and pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, who was employed by Layang Layang Aerospace.
Alexson’s and Jessie’s families said the five FDS workers had developed a strong camaraderie, regularly going on missions together and working well as a team. Their families also came to know one another through birthdays, holidays, and other gatherings.
Alexson and Jessie died at 31 and 44 respectively.
