Sarawak dialysis patient’s rescue shows why the Flying Doctor Service matters

Rescue personnel and family members help dialysis patient Renai Iwat board a Bomba helicopter at Long Lellang STOLport for her emergency medical evacuation to Miri Hospital. — The Borneo Post pic

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 12:20 PM MYT

KUCHING, Sept 12 — When a helicopter crashed just 200 metres from her home in Long Lellang, Renai Iwat was not only confronted with the trauma of losing a vital link to medical care, but also another race against time.

The dialysis patient, who requires treatment three times a week, needed to return to Miri after the Long Lellang STOLport was closed following Tuesday’s tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of four medical personnel and a pilot.

Amid the grief and uncertainty, her family turned to the authorities for help.

Renai was eventually airlifted from Long Lellang to Miri Hospital on Thursday (Sept 10) by a Bomba helicopter, allowing her to resume the treatment on which she depends.

A family member who wished to remain anonymous said the family would remain deeply grateful to Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala, Miri Division Resident Tuan Galong Luang and Bomba for making the evacuation possible.

She said Gerawat had personally raised the urgency of bringing Renai back to Miri because of her dialysis schedule and had insisted that arrangements be made for her evacuation.

“Although we are deeply saddened by the loss of the four medical personnel and pilot in the tragic helicopter incident, Renai’s case shows how important the Flying Doctor Service is to our rural communities,” she told The Borneo Post when contacted.

She said the family’s concern was heightened by the fact that Renai had been at home when the helicopter crashed nearby.

“It was an extremely difficult situation for her and for all of us,” she said.

She also thanked Miri Health Department head Dr P Raviwharmman Packierisamy for supporting the request for Renai’s medical evacuation.

According to her, Galong then made the formal request to Bomba for the evacuation from Long Lellang to Miri, while the Bomba director approved the use of its helicopter.

She expressed particular appreciation to the helicopter captain and crew who flew back to Long Lellang to bring Renai safely to Miri.

Renai Iwat seated aboard the Bomba helicopter en route to Miri Hospital, accompanied by rescue personnel after her successful medical evacuation from Long Lellang. — The Borneo Post pic

For Renai, the evacuation was more than simply getting home.

It meant returning to hospital for treatment she needs three times a week and being reunited with her family after an ordeal that unfolded dangerously close to home.

Renai is the widow of the late Pemanca Freddy Abun, who served the Kelabit community for more than five years.

For the family, Renai’s experience underscored the importance of air medical services to communities in Sarawak’s remote interior, where access to healthcare can depend on the ability to travel by air.

The family also extended their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash.

They said Renai’s safe evacuation was a powerful reminder that for people living in remote communities, air medical services are not a luxury but a lifeline.

And for one family, that lifeline brought a mother, wife and grandmother safely home. — The Borneo Post