KUCHING, July 11 2026: The Sarawak government is examining approaches to expand access to dental health services to rural areas, including through a proposal to integrate the service with the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) to ensure that residents in hard-to-reach areas continue to receive the treatment they need.
Deputy Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib said the initiative is among the government's efforts to strengthen the delivery of dental health services to be more inclusive and comprehensive, especially to rural and rural communities.
"We want to ensure that no community in rural areas is left out of receiving dental health services. That is why we are examining more effective delivery methods ,including the possibility of utilizing the Air Doctor Service," she told reporters the launching Sarawak-level Dental Health Promotion Week 2026 at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) today,
She said Sarawak currently has 53 fixed dental service facilities, in addition to being supported by eight mobile dental clinics that provide services in rural areas via the road network.
For settlements without road access, 127 mobile dental teams were deployed using four-wheel drive vehicles, vans and boats to conduct dental examinations and treatments for residents.
She said the government would continue to evaluate more effective service delivery methods to ensure that dental health coverage could be expanded according to the needs of the community, especially in rural areas.
In the same development, Hanifah said the health sector still needed more manpower, including dentists, specialists, nurses and support staff, to strengthen the capacity to deliver health services throughout the state.
“We still need more dentists, specialists, nurses and support staff to ensure that health service delivery could be strengthened, especially in rural and rural areas,” she said.
She said the matter would continue to be discussed with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to examine the need for additional dentists, specialists, nurses and support staff in an effort to strengthen health service delivery in Sarawak.
She also reminded the community to practise consistent dental health care because good oral health was an important component in ensuring well-being and quality of life.
MBKS Mayor Wee Hong Seng, Deputy State Health Director Dr Misah Md Ramli, Deputy Director-General of Health (Dental Health) of the Ministry of Health Malaysia Dr Fauziah Ahmad, and Deputy State Health Director (Management) of the Sarawak State Health Department Banges Munga.
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