IN the 2023 Budget, the Health Ministry was the second highest recipient with an allocation of RM36.3 billion compared with RM32.4 billion in the previous year.
Of that, RM34.5 million was for the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (NCEMH) and the strengthening of mental health and psychosocial support services to address mental health problems more seriously.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said mental health has been a major concern long before the onset of Covid-19, and the pandemic had amplified the issue.
She said the pandemic had raised the likelihood of suicidal behaviour, thus requiring an increased need for psychological care.
"NCEMH, which is currently operating with a capacity of 46 personnel, also coordinates Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS).
"Through the MHPSS programme, various services are being provided to the healthcare workers and community which include Psychological First Aid, psychoeducation, counselling services, and training of healthcare workers and volunteers.
"To date, every district has at least one MHPSS team to provide the service," she said in a statement.
The Health Ministry announced the establishment of the NCEMH on Oct 10 last year.
It serves as a coordinating centre, incorporating strategic collaboration among public, private, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in planning and implementing promotion and prevention efforts in mental health.
NCEMH covers five main scopes which are the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental Illness, Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Training and Education, Mental Health Surveillance, and Mental Health Research and Innovation.
To increase the accessibility of mental health services, a Mental Health Crisis Helpline or Talian HEAL 15555 (Help with Empathy and Love) was launched and it operates from 8am to midnight daily including public holidays.
Dr Zaliha said the service which offers tele-counselling is being handled by trained counsellors from the ministry.
"Over seven months from Oct 21, 2022 to June 17, 2023, a total of 19,307 calls were received by the HEAL Helpline 15555 with an average of 80 calls per day.
"Of these calls, 171 calls were related to suicidal behaviour of which, 68 cases were suicidal ideation and 103 were suicidal attempt cases that were successfully referred to the Hospital Emergency department through the activation of MERS 999 and cooperation from the police.
In Malaysia, the National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) in 2019 showed that approximately 500,000 aged 18 years old and above suffered from depression.
The police reported an increase of 81 per cent in suicide cases from 631 cases in 2020 to 1,142 in 2021.
In 2022, there was a slight reduction in the number of suicide cases reported which is 981 cases.
"Nevertheless, this trend is of concern as there was a double increase in the prevalence of suicide cases among those between 15 to 18 years old that is from three per cent to six per cent," Dr Zaliha said.
Through partnerships with NGOs, NCEMH also offers mental health awareness and advocacy programmes to strengthen the community.
"There are currently 52 NGOs actively engaged in community-based activities and advocacy for mental health.
"Integrating the current mental health services with digitalisation is another project.
"In terms of research, NCEMH is collaborating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue scientific evidence for mental health-related intervention and policy creation," she said.
As of now, mental health services are continuously provided in all MOH Facilities which include 1,161 health clinics at the primary healthcare level, 60 hospitals, four mental institutions and 34 Community Mental Health Centres (MENTARI) throughout the country.
"The ministry advises the public to immediately seek help and to prevent serious illness due to late detection of mental health problems.
"As we move forward, the effort is towards building a more resilient and healthier Malaysia in making mental health agenda a priority for all."
In addition to the NCEMH, the Health Ministry has also developed the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health (2020 – 2025).
This serves as a blueprint document outlining several scopes which includes improving the governance and regulatory framework, strengthening the mental health control system, ensuring the availability and accessibility of comprehensive mental health services, and strengthening mental health resources.
Meanwhile, other than addressing mental health issues, a large chunk of the 2023 Budget allocation went to the procurement of medicine, reagents and vaccines, as well as RM3 billion for the new appointment of 1,500 permanent and contract staff.
Allocations include RM100 million to the Madani Health Scheme for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah recipients in the B40 group to receive treatment at general practitioners' clinics; RM80 million to strengthen the PeKa B40 Scheme by including diabetes screening; tax relief for medical expenses for the year of assessment 2023 will be increased from RM8,000 to RM10,000; and up to RM4,000 tax relief for autism, Down Syndrome and other specific learning disorders.