'Empower communities, build trust to ensure disaster preparedness' - Dr Mexmollen Marcus

KOTA KINABALU: Dr Mexmollen Marcus, a deputy dean at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah Faculty of Medicine, spoke at the Pacific Partnership 2026 Symposium about the shortcomings in disaster response following the 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Mount Kinabalu in 2015. He recalled how emergency services were hampered by bad weather and the absence of previous joint disaster exercises.

The police, fire department, armed forces, and mountain guides all acted independently, creating a fragmented response. The 18 fatalities were mostly climbers who were unable to reach safety.

Marcus emphasized that the most important solution was to build trust between agencies. He stressed that trust should be established before a crisis, through clear and peaceful communication. Local communities, who possess traditional knowledge and often act as natural first responders, should be placed at the center of disaster preparedness.

Looking ahead, Marcus called for strengthening the link between health security and disaster governance, as future emergencies may involve multiple hazards. He advocated for a multidisciplinary One Health approach to tackle zoonotic diseases, which often cross from animals to humans before reaching hospitals. The PP26 Symposium, with a mission commander and a medical operations director, aimed to deepen mutual understanding between military and civilian entities for seamless integration to save lives and bolster regional capacity for non-traditional threats.