Since early April, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has engaged in a series of humanitarian missions in Malaysia as the country battles with the global COVID-19 pandemic. The RMAF deployed its Airbus A400M sending medical supplies, equipment and PPEs to the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
The equipment and supplies, which included close to 3 million face masks, were provided by country’s Ministry of Health, the National Security Council, the National 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 units of 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, the RMAF H225M helicopter was mobilised 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 RMAF’s 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.
