US donates RM6mil in medical equipment

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States has donated about RM6mil in field medical equipment to the Malaysian Armed Forces to aid in disaster operations.

The Forward Anesthesia Surgical Trauma (FAST) assets were officially handed over to the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) yesterday.

The event was held at the conclusion of Exercise Starlight 2023 at Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan.

Part of the FAST assets were used during the MAF’s search and rescue operations following the earthquake in Turkiye earlier this year.

Exercise Starlight was conducted as an operational exercise on field hospitals in aid readiness.

The ceremony also saw a live demonstration of a field medical exercise to demonstrate the country’s readiness in handling medical emergencies in the field.

“Even before this, the US and Malaysia have had a long history of collaboration on public health issues, including identifying emerging infectious diseases and threats through our work together in Sabah,” US embassy Charge d’Affaires Manu Bhalla said during the ceremony.

Deputy Chief Of Army Lt-Jen Datuk Tengku Muhammad Fauzi Tengku Ibrahim, representing the Defence Ministry and MAF, said the country’s FAST team symbolised its commitment to international humanitarian efforts.

“The MAF FAST’s rapid deployment capability serves as a tangible demonstration of Malaysia’s readiness to swiftly respond to international crises, reinforcing our position as a reliable global partner.

“The team’s readiness is designed to function autonomously for up to 72 hours and it showcases Malaysia’s resilience and self-reliance, sending a strong political message of our nation’s ability to stand firm in challenging situations,” he said.

The assets, he said, were made up of 52 components, and that these allowed patients to be fully or partially sedated for operations at field hospitals.

“The use of the latest technology in the field of medicine not only places Malaysia as a country that is at the forefront of medical innovation, but also opens up collaborations with other countries,” he said.

MAF Health Services director-general Lt-Jen Datuk Dr Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh, who was also at the ceremony, said such assets would speed up the mobilisation of men and medical equipment to disaster areas, such as landslides and floods.