KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is planning to develop a workplace mental health policy to create a conducive, safe and harmonious working environment under the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) action plan.
“In relation to reports that more than 40,000 civil servants are facing mental and psychological health issues, the ministry has collaborated with the Public Service Department to ensure continuity of interventions for civil servants identified as being at risk of mental and psychological health issues through the Guidelines on the Management of the Digital Psychological Health Profiling System for Public Service Officers (MyPsyD),” said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Dzulkefly said this in a parliamentary written reply on Tuesday (July 14).
It has also established the Technical Advisory Committee for the National Mental Health Programme with various ministries to coordinate mental health activities and services.
The ministry also established the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Oct 2022, which serves as the lead agency for the National Mental Health Services Policy, as well as the development and monitoring of mental health programmes.
“The ministry will continue to strengthen its efforts through prevention strategies, early detection and community support, rather than relying solely on reactive measures. Accordingly, a more proactive approach to prevention, including through behavioural change interventions (behavioural insight-nudging), will continue to be enhanced,” he said.
“Individuals requiring assistance, including civil servants, may seek mental health services at healthcare facilities nationwide, including 1,116 health clinics, 70 hospitals and 40 Community Mental Health Centres (Mentari),” he said.
“To improve access to mental health support, the ministry has established the HEAL 15555 Mental Health Crisis Helpline (Help with Empathy and Love), which provides emotional support, psychoeducation and early intervention for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis through tele-counselling services,” he added.
Dzulkefly was responding to a question by Datuk Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus) on the government’s readiness to make mental health a national agenda across ministries through an integrated intervention policy, in view of reports that more than 40,000 civil servants face psychological issues.
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