Since early April, the Royal Malaysian Air Force launched fixed- and rotary wing aircraft, including an A400M airlifter and an H225M helicopter, to assist humanitarian missions in remote areas as Malaysia battles with the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The RMAF deployed its A400M sending medical supplies, equipment and PPEs to the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Meanwhile, an H225M has delivered much-needed food and other supplies to remote islands and other areas.
The equipment and supplies, which included close to 3 million face masks, were provided by the country’s ministry of health, national security council and disaster management agency and the Malaysian Civil Defense Force.
Additional contributions were also received by NGOs, such as the Royal Military College Old Putera Association. These medical supplies, including 44 aerosol boxes, were transported on a second A400M and delivered to hospitals, clinics and health facilities in these two states.
The Sarawak government has also since launched a state-wide food supply delivery initiative to ensure its residents receive essential food supplies during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period to counter the spread of Coronavirus. Under the MCO, the public is required to stay at home and only go out for essential items and services.
During this time, transport vehicles carrying food supplies have been allowed to move freely throughout Sarawak without any restrictions. However, some areas, including Bario, Telang, Usan, and Baram, are relatively remote, and are difficult to reach by road. As such, an Airbus H225M helicopter was mobilized to expedite the delivery of food supplies to these remote areas.
The recipients of these food supplies include households in rural and urban areas, some of which impoverished or are experiencing financial difficulty due to the repercussions of the MCO.
The H225Ms will continue to deliver food supplies to 13 other locations in the country in the next four to five days, weather permitting, while the air force’s A400M will deliver another 3 million face masks to Sarawak, essential food supplies and medical supplements against COVID-19 to Sabah and Sarawak in the coming days.
