Transport Ministry Drawing Up Module To Help Physically Impaired At Airports

May 04, 2010 21:25 PM

Transport Ministry Drawing Up Module To Help Physically Impaired At Airports

PUTRAJAYA, May 4 (Bernama) -- The Transport Ministry is to help coordinate the drawing up of a training module to help the physically impaired at airports based on assistance and guidelines from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said Tuesday.

He said the ministry would look into the need to place more wheelchairs and other equipment at airports, including at aerobridges, to provide a more effective and efficient environment for the physically impaired.

The minister said airlines were given the option of using these equipment depending on several factors, among them their financial position.

"I will discuss with the airline operators but I have to know their problems, and what factors prohibited them from using the facilities," he said.

Ong said the time had come to provide standard procedures to handle the needs and wants of the physically impaired so that airline staff were adept at resolving problems associated with the physically impaired.

"We are moving in the direction where standard operating procedures (SOP) are necessary to handle the needs of the physically impaired. As such, the training module is very beneficial to help us attain a benchmark," he said.

"Staff, whether from Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) or airlines, should be adequately exposed to efforts to handle or entertain the physically impaired.

"This is a specialised field where not only experience but also knowledge is required," he said.

Ong said the government would ensure that the views and opinions of the physically impaired were evaluated and studied before the construction of any project, especially at airports and other public transportation terminals.

"The other day, when I went to look at the progress of work on the integrated public transportation terminal projects in Gombak and Bandar Tasik Selatan, I brought along representatives from the NGOs for the physically impaired to give their views and proposals on facilities for these special people," he said.

-- BERNAMA