Dr Sim calls for stronger disaster management networks

KUCHING: Strong collaborative networks across professions, agencies and countries are essential in strengthening preparedness and response to increasingly complex disasters.

Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, said disaster management could no longer rely solely on a single profession or country, but required comprehensive cooperation involving the health sector, rescue agencies, government, researchers, technology experts, humanitarian organisations and communities.

“Networks in disaster management are not merely about exchanging contact numbers or meeting at conferences, but about building trust, understanding the capabilities of our partners and being ready to work together when communities need us most,” he said.

He said this when officiating the Ninth International Research Conference of the World Society of Disaster Nursing (WSDN) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.

According to Dr Sim, challenges such as climate change, transboundary haze, drought, infectious diseases, technological disasters and humanitarian emergencies require a more integrated and comprehensive approach to disaster management.

He said Sarawak’s experience in managing the COVID-19 pandemic had also demonstrated the importance of cooperation between government leadership, the health sector and various agencies to ensure swift and effective action during a crisis.

Meanwhile, he highlighted the important role of nurses as frontline personnel throughout the disaster management cycle, encompassing preparedness, community education, emergency response, recovery and building community resilience.

“Nurses have close relationships with patients, families and communities, giving them a unique perspective that must be incorporated into disaster-related planning and decision-making,” he said.

He added that building community resilience required continuous engagement and coordination among all parties to ensure communities were better prepared to face any form of disaster or emergency in the future.

The three-day WSDN 2026 conference brings together experts, practitioners and researchers from Malaysia and abroad to strengthen the exchange of knowledge, research and practices in nursing and disaster management.

Present at the event were also International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) Deputy Rector (Academic and Internationalisation), Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Faris Ismail; World Society of Disaster Nursing’s Chairman, Professor Sonoe Mashino; and WSDN 2026 Conference’s Chairman, Dr Nurul’Ain Ahayalimudin.