Flying doctor service for 11 sabah villages starting next year

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 14 (Bernama) — The flying doctor service for 11 villages in three districts in Sabah is expected to start operation in May or June next year after the process of procurement has been completed, says State Health and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt.

Stephen said the flying doctor service would involve five villages in Kota Marudu namely Kampung Sonsogon Makatol; Kampung Sonsogon Mogis; Kampung Sonsogon Suyad; Kampung Binantungan Suyad; and Kampung Minsusurud.

Apart from that, he said three villages in Nabawan; Kampung Kabu; Kampung Sililiran; and Kampung Karampalon; two villages in Tuaran; Kampung Talungan and Kampung Bambangan Ulu as well as Kampung Longkogugan in Penampang will enjoy the service.

“The service will a big boost to the health of villagers as they did not enjoy such health service in the past,” he said when winding for his ministry at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly here today.

He said apart from flying doctor service, another health service using helicopters in Sabah is the Medical Evacuation Service (MEDEVAC) which was to send patients from one health facility to a referral hospital.

He said a sum of RM4.46 million had been spent to transfer 269 patients from district hospitals to referral hospitals in Sabah using MEDEVAC since September 2017 to October 2018.

In this regard, Stephen said the flying doctor service which was terminated in 2016 was in the process of procurement to resume from next year.

While waiting for the new contract, health service for a large portion of the villages is through mobile clinic   teams by land or river.

He said from the 60 villages visited by flying doctors earlier, 52 villages were visited by mobile clinic units by land and river.

-- BERNAMA