THE Ministry of Health (MOH) has dispatched medical and counselling teams to assist victims of a devastating fire in Sandakan, as authorities move to address both immediate health needs and the psychological toll of the disaster.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said no fatalities had been reported, but stressed that rapid intervention was essential given the scale of displacement and trauma among affected residents.
“The team will be stationed at the temporary evacuation centres (PPS), and some of them are already on site.
“The Health Ministry also places special focus on psychological support for victims, and we usually act quickly in this regard,” the minister said after launching the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2025 findings on elderly health today.
He added that mobile teams comprising counsellors, nurses, medical officers and assistant medical officers had been activated and deployed to temporary evacuation centres to provide continuous care.
The response follows a large-scale blaze in the early hours of Sunday that tore through the water settlement of Kampung Bahagia in Sandakan, destroying around 1,000 homes and affecting at least 8,000 residents.
Community leader Sharif Hashim Sharif Titing was reported as saying that nearly 90 per cent of houses in the village were razed, making it the most severe incident in the area after previous fires in 1994 and 2001.
With entire households displaced, the ministry said it is prioritising both immediate medical attention and longer-term psychosocial support, as survivors grapple with the loss of homes and livelihoods. - April 20, 2026
