RB answers call to assist EMAS
13 September 2021, 9:33 AM
In light of the rising cases of COVID-19 in Brunei, Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) join forces with Brunei’s Emergency Medical Ambulance Services (EMAS) to help ease the Ministry of Health in contacting patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. RB staff will work alongside EMAS and volunteers in a call centre at RB’s Emergency Response facilities. The centre began operations on Friday, 27th August 2021.
The EMAS Calling Team (ECT), made up of paramedics from EMAS, volunteers from RB, Sukarelawan Belia, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, government officers from various government agencies and students from Politeknik Brunei, contact and screen patients waiting for transportation to the National Isolation Centre and other isolation centres. These calls are crucial to ensure patients go to the correct isolation centres for further treatment. The involvement of RB, not only in terms of volunteers and the provision of the call centre facilities, has made the screening process more efficient. The ECT is operational daily from 8 AM to 8 PM.
“As the national carrier, it is crucial that RB supports the country any way we can. Our Emergency Response centre, equipped with a dedicated call centre, will allow RB to lessen the call-load for the Ministry of Health. I am extremely proud of the efforts that our staff at Royal Brunei has shown in the pursuit to aid the nation during this time. Our team of volunteers, equipped with people and basic first aid skills, are well-trained to work in emergencies, allowing them easy transition to be deployed to these voluntary works.” said RB CEO Captain Hj Khalidkhan Hj Asmakhan.
Aside from the call centre, since the start of the pandemic in April 2020, teams of RB staff volunteer at multiple front-line tasks around the country, including RIPAS Hospital, Clinics, Donation centres, Hotline 148, Contact tracing, Vaccination centres, quarantine and isolation centres as well as at Brunei International Airport. RB has also been active in the transportation of equipment to these centres utilising RB’s vehicles.
Over the past year, RB has supported the nation by flying in essential items such as medical and food supplies from key destinations to maintain the flow, thus ensuring a guaranteed supply. The airline also operated several repatriation flights to various destinations, including Wuhan, London, Kuala Lumpur and Cairo.
In June 2021, RB converted its A320NEO into a cargo-in-cabin aircraft to capitalise on the growth in cargo operations. In addition, RB has diversified its business areas with unique offerings like the “Dine@Skylounge”, a curated dining experience at its business class lounge served by its award-winning cabin crew, the “Dine & Fly”, a special meal for guests onboard a sight-seeing flight, and provided hospitality training to external parties.
In 2020, RB was awarded the highest seven-star rating by the world’s best one-stop airline safety and product review website www.airlineratings.com. That same year, RB won the coveted “World’s Leading Cabin Crew” category at the “World’s Leading World Travel Awards.