TAMBUNAN: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional (GRS-BN) State Government is considering establishing Sabah’s own emergency call centre, following a string of blunders by the centrallised MERS 999 that had cost several lives and properties of Sabahans.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) in a statement here said the local call centre would be more effective because it would be staffed by Sabahans who are more familiar with Sabah’s culture and geographical locations.
“The current MERS 999 system has proven to be ineffective and inefficient, with far too many questions asked before dispatching assistance to the victims.
“In many cases, even after so many questions, local emergency responders will be sent on a wild goose chase because MERS 999 operators have little to no knowledge of Sabah’s geographical locations.
“It is better to directly call local operators who will immediately know the locations of the emergency and the nearest responders,” he said.
Kitingan said the GRS-BN Government would consult with emergency responders such as the police, Fire and Rescue Department and Health Department, as well as local telecommunication companies to determine the best way to set up the local emergency call centre.
“The Government is hoping that this will not take too long. We do not want a repeat of what happened to accident victim Lew Kok Fai in Kolombong recently.
“Sabahans’ lives matter and must be prioritised. The GRS-BN Government is confident that this proposed local emergency call centre will help ensure that our citizens will receive immediate assistance whenever they need it,” he said.
The matter was raised in Parliament by Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Fung Hin. Federal Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican sympathised with Sabah’s predicament and suggested that Federal Communications and Multimedia Ministry should consider the request, but sadly the matter ended without a response in Sabah’s favour.
The Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa only gave a written response on details of four calls made to MERS999 but said nothing about whether Sabah should have its own call centre, to the disappointment of Sabahans.
The shortcoming in the existing MERS999 system became widely known when a Chinese family of four burned to death last September in Penampang as the Bomba arrived too late due to miscommunication with MERS99 in Kuala Lumpur and wrong directions although the fire occurred a stone’s throw from the fire station.
A more recent case saw a baker from Ipoh, Liew Kok Lai, succumb to death following an accident in which the ambulance arrived an hour late due to communication breakdown with MERS999.
Currently, all emergency calls made from Sabah to Malaysia Emergency Response Services (MERS) 999 are directed to call centres outside Sabah first (for example, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka or Kuching), before being passed to the relevant authorities in Sabah.
MERS 999 is an integrated system combining the emergency services of five agencies comprising the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM), Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (Bomba), Ministry of Health (KKM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM).
