The Ministry of Health (MOH) is looking into the possibility of using helicopters to deliver dental services to remote communities in the interior areas of Sarawak.
Deputy Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib said the proposal would involve deploying dental teams under the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) to reach villages that remain difficult to access due to limited road connectivity.
She said integrating dental services into the existing FDS could allow healthcare teams to use helicopters as an alternative mode of transport to provide treatment to communities in hard-to-reach locations.
“We do not want those living deep in the interior to be left behind. We understand there are still rural areas that cannot be accessed by road, and we will not neglect them,” she was quoted as saying after launching the 2026 Sarawak state-level oral health promotion week.
Hanifah said Sarawak currently has 53 dental clinics, but some rural communities continue to face challenges due to the lack of permanent dental facilities in their areas.
At present, the ministry operates eight mobile dental buses and 127 mobile dental teams that use various forms of transport, including vans, four-wheel-drive vehicles and boats, to bring dental care services to remote settlements.
She said the ministry would review its existing outreach coverage and explore additional approaches to improve access to dental treatment for people living in the state’s interior.
Hanifah also acknowledged that Sarawak continues to face shortages of dentists, specialists and dental nurses, adding that efforts are ongoing to strengthen the healthcare workforce.
However, she noted that increasing the number of dental specialists and healthcare professionals would require time as they must complete the necessary education and training before serving the community.
