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THE Flying Doctor Service (FDS) will continue providing medical care to people in remote parts of the country despite Tuesday’s helicopter crash in Sarawak that claimed five lives, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said today.
He said there was still a clear need for the service, particularly in areas where people have limited access to healthcare.
“There is a reason, and indeed a need, for these services to continue,” Dzulkefly told reporters after a press conference on the crash.
He said ensuring access to healthcare for people in rural and remote communities remained important, adding that medical emergencies could not be delayed.
Dzulkefly also clarified that the Health Ministry did not operate its own helicopters for the FDS, but relied on aircraft provided by outsourced operators.
“We have assets such as boats and mobile clinics but not helicopters,” he said.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab said aviation safety was the responsibility of the relevant authorities, rather than the Health Ministry.
The ministry, he said, would obtain information from the agencies involved.
Asked whether the helicopter had been cleared to fly amid the haze, Mahathar said approval for flights was decided by the relevant authorities.
“My understanding is that the necessary permission was granted and the flight took place,” he said.
Mahathar said the FDS operated through scheduled visits and medical evacuation flights.
Scheduled services are conducted monthly or once every two months, depending on the needs of communities in rural and remote areas.
Medevac flights, meanwhile, are used to transport critically ill patients who require further treatment.
Mahathar said such flights would continue when medically necessary, provided the relevant authorities had approved the operation, and there were no weather conditions or other obstacles making the flight unsafe.
He said the ministry would review its approach to scheduled FDS operations and continue providing guidance to its teams on the ground.
Five people — the pilot and four Health Ministry personnel on FDS duty — were killed when the helicopter crashed near Long Lellang STOLport in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, on Tuesday. – September 9, 2026
