From Malay Mail · · 1m 40s
A helicopter crash grounds Sarawak's flying doctors
Five medical staff died when a service helicopter went down in Long Lellang, and now whole villages are waiting for care that no longer comes.
In brief
Five medical staff died when a service helicopter went down in Long Lellang, and now whole villages are waiting for care that no longer comes. When one helicopter is the only clinic an interior village has, grounding the fleet turns an air crash into a public health problem. Originally reported by Malay Mail.
A count is coming
Health director-general Datuk Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab said the number of residents cut off from follow-up care by the Flying Doctor Service suspension will be released soon.
“In the near future, we will release (the figure).”
The minister will say it
Mahathar said the figures had already been compiled and passed to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who will make the announcement and decide what happens next.
Said after a dinner
He spoke to reporters in Ipoh after the Malaysian Medical Association 2026 dinner, attended by MMA president Dr L. Sivanaesan. No date was given for the figure.
Every flight stopped
On Thursday, Dzulkefly said all Flying Doctor Service operations in Sarawak had been suspended after a helicopter used by the service crashed at Long Lellang.
Why they grounded it
The pause lets authorities investigate the crash and review the safety and operational mechanisms behind the service before any aircraft flies again.
“to allow an investigation and a review of the safety and operational mechanisms”
The crash itself
A BO-105 operated by Layang-Layang Aerospace went down near the end of the Long Lellang STOLport runway at about 3.40pm last Tuesday. Nobody on board survived.
The five who died
Medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33, medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31, nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44, and pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30.
The headline
When one helicopter is the only clinic an interior village has, grounding the fleet turns an air crash into a public health problem.
