Frequent flyer laments rising prices of flight tickets

MIRI (Sept 25): The government is urged to address the challenges faced by Sarawakians amidst the soaring ticket prices, especially those who need to travel frequently to Kuching from all corners of Sarawak for medical treatments or appointments.

Sin Yean Yean, a frequent flyer, highlighted her burden to The Borneo Post.

The clerk, in her 50s, has to travel frequently, bringing her mother who is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) in Kuching.

“My mother’s medical treatment requires her to follow up with the oncologist once every three months. I usually purchase one-way ticket from Miri to Kuching, and the return ticket will be purchased after doctor’s appointment. The reason being, my mother’s condition isn’t consistent, the date of our return (to Miri) will only be decided if the doctor has given the greenlight, post check-up.

“Yesterday (Monday), when I checked the return tickets, the prices for AirAsia and Firefly were shockingly high, I could not even describe my feelings and my drying pockets.

“The prices ranging between RM650 and RM1,500 per person for a one-way trip was just too much.”

Sin’s routine of bringing her mother for treatment and check-ups in Kuiching has been going on for about two years now.

“Often, there have been many emergency delays due to my mother’s medical condition.

“My mother is currently under a special treatment using a new drug that costs around RM30,000 monthly, and the drug expenses are fully covered by a sponsor contractor.

“For now, the areas that require most expenses are accommodation, flight tickets and food.

“The flight tickets are the highest among them, and I am grappling with the fact that the tickets would only get more expensive. It would not be possible for financially-challenged patients to travel to Kuching,” she added.

Sin said even though SGH had world-class healthcare services, it was not within easy reach for those living outside of Kuching, especially those in the northern part of the state.

“Currently, at Miri Hospital, the oncology department only caters for minor cases, and follow-ups. Most of the resources are still concentrated in Kuching.

“I really hope that the government would be able to understand the difficulty that the people are experiencing, at least by allocating doctors and specialist to Miri, as well as the medical facility to accommodate rising needs in this part of the region,” she pointed out.