BANGI: The government is looking into formulating a policy or an insurance scheme to protect people who use their voice as a source of income.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud said this targeted group covers a wide range of professions from those in the entertainment industry such as singers, television hosts and radio disc jockeys to those in the education sector such as teachers and lecturers.
He said no such scheme has been implemented in Malaysia where there was less awareness about the importance of a worker's voice when it is used for work.
When citing an example overseas of how professionals took care of their vocal commodity, Mustapha said American singer Mariah Carey insured her vocal cords for a a whopping US$35 million.
"We are open to suggestions from groups such as The National Academy of Arts, Culture, and Heritage (Aswara) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on how this can be done locally.
"We will see if it is possible to implement such a policy or scheme under the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) to protect people who use their voices for work in our country," he said after the Suara Nadi Kehidupan' (The voice is the pulse of life) at the World Voice Day at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health here today.
The programme focuses on raising awareness to public about the care of the voice box, or larynx, as well as the factors that could cause damage or risk of cancer to the organ.
Singer and vocal teacher Datuk Shafinaz Selamat moderated a forum dubbed "Using our Voice For Work, and Working for our Voice" (Suara untuk Bekerja dan Kerja untuk Suara).
Also present were singer and NIOSH external trainer Sham Visa, theater actress and Aswara part-time vocal teacher Anne James and NIOSH occupational health doctor Dr Muhamad Arif Muhamad Nordin.
When talking about care for vocal cords, Mustapha said a damaged voice can possibly affect the quality of one's life.
He said most duties require the usage of the voice. He said some people such as politicians, who rely on their voice all the time and use their voice very often, would sometimes experience voice-related issues.
He said jobs demanding a frequent use of vocals cords can lead to things such as hoarseness, vocal fatigue, and vocal nodules that can affect the health of a person's voice box.
"For example, a study conducted by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) on primary school teachers in the Klang Valley shows that voice-related issue is noticeable where 78 per cent of them experience vocal discomfort at least once in a year.
"Workers with voice-related problems are also linked to absenteeism, lower quality of life as well as having higher levels of anxiety.
"I am made to understand that at the UKM Chancellor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital, about 30 per cent of patients who are referred to the speech therapist for treatment process are voice professionals comprising of those who rely on their voice as a source of income."
He said the ministry, together with agencies such as NIOSH and Perkeso, will look into such matters and find a comprehensive solution to guarantee the welfare of the workers who depend on their voice.