Sarawak: The Joint Council of Presidents and Secretary-Generals of the Health Ministry Workers Union (MAPSU) has urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to strengthen the safety aspects of air, sea, and river health services following the recent Long Lellang helicopter crash in Sarawak. Its president, Ajulahin Japin, emphasized that the safety of healthcare workers needs to be given serious attention and should be preventive in nature.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, although the actual cause of the incident should be left to an official investigation, MAPSU believes that safety aspects in all forms of transportation used for delivering health services, especially in rural areas, must be given serious and preventive attention. Ajulahin Japin stated in a statement today that healthcare services in Sarawak, Sabah, and the interior regions of Peninsular Malaysia heavily rely on air, sea, and river transportation.

In this regard, the MOH cannot focus solely on aviation safety; instead, it must ensure that travel by boat and water transport also complies with strict safety standards. Ajulahin also highlighted the importance of considering the voices and experiences of healthcare workers in the field when drafting and improving safety procedures, as they are the ones who know the real risks in rural areas.

On Tuesday, a BO-105 helicopter crashed near Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing Airport (STOLport) in Miri, Sarawak, claiming the lives of five individuals, including pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr. Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and two nurses, Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.