NS chief says 'camps are as safe as flying'
Nigel AwPublished: Mar 28, 2014 4:37 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2014 7:06 AM
Drawing a comparison with the MH370 disaster and national service camps, National Service Training Council chairperson Noor Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid said there are exceptional cases.
Drawing a comparison between the MH370 disaster and national service camps, National Service Training Council chairperson Noor Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid said there are exceptional cases.
However, he added that both flying and national service camps have excellent safety records.
Noor Ehsanuddin, who is also Kota Tinggi MP, said to date, there have only been two deaths from unnatural causes out of a total of 752,000 who had undergone the training.
"For example, MH370, we are sad about it (the incident) but on the day the plane could not be detected, thousands of other planes flew worldwide. Nothing stopped because it is the best and safest mode of transportation, safer than motorcycles.
"These things (MH370 incident) happen because of things that are out of the ordinary. It's the same in national service. It is safe, it's just sometimes there are unexpected cases," Noor Ehsanuddin told a press conference in Wangsa Maju today.
He said since the NS programme started, there have been some 20 deaths, but with the exception of the two mentioned earlier, the rest were from medical causes.
He lamented that participants sometimes do not declare their medical condition when joining national service but promised to step up medical screening procedures.
This comes after all 80 active national service camps received their ISO certification.
"The standard is not just on performance but also on compliance with safety aspects. We want the camps' safety to be further improved," he said.
Noor Ehsanuddin had used the flight analogy after reporters earlier asked if the national service programme will mobilise its participants to assist the families of passengers on the missing Flight MH370.
Responding this, he said the programme has a volunteers' brigade of 120,000 members who assist in disasters such as floods, but there are no plans to use them for the MH370 incident.
"For now, we leave it to counsellors to meet the families because they (counsellors) are wiser and are equipped with the knowledge to deal with them, " he said.
If other needs arise in future, such as requiring the volunteers' brigade to participate in clean-ups, they are ready to assist, Noor Ehsanuddin added.
However, he added that both flying and national service camps have excellent safety records.
Noor Ehsanuddin, who is also Kota Tinggi MP, said to date, there have only been two deaths from unnatural causes out of a total of 752,000 who had undergone the training.
"For example, MH370, we are sad about it (the incident) but on the day the plane could not be detected, thousands of other planes flew worldwide. Nothing stopped because it is the best and safest mode of transportation, safer than motorcycles.
"These things (MH370 incident) happen because of things that are out of the ordinary. It's the same in national service. It is safe, it's just sometimes there are unexpected cases," Noor Ehsanuddin told a press conference in Wangsa Maju today.He said since the NS programme started, there have been some 20 deaths, but with the exception of the two mentioned earlier, the rest were from medical causes.
He lamented that participants sometimes do not declare their medical condition when joining national service but promised to step up medical screening procedures.
This comes after all 80 active national service camps received their ISO certification."The standard is not just on performance but also on compliance with safety aspects. We want the camps' safety to be further improved," he said.
Noor Ehsanuddin had used the flight analogy after reporters earlier asked if the national service programme will mobilise its participants to assist the families of passengers on the missing Flight MH370.
Responding this, he said the programme has a volunteers' brigade of 120,000 members who assist in disasters such as floods, but there are no plans to use them for the MH370 incident.
"For now, we leave it to counsellors to meet the families because they (counsellors) are wiser and are equipped with the knowledge to deal with them, " he said.
If other needs arise in future, such as requiring the volunteers' brigade to participate in clean-ups, they are ready to assist, Noor Ehsanuddin added.
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