KUALA LUMPUR: The Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services Malaysia (Cuepacs) has proposed that civil servants undergo regular health checks, particularly those aged 40 and above showing signs of obesity.
In a statement today, Cuepacs president Datuk Dr. Adnan Mat proposed initiating a programme in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the Department of Youth and Sports to monitor and manage public servants with obesity issues.
He explained that the programme's objective would be to identify at-risk groups and the factors contributing to their health problems, followed by the design and implementation of intervention measures.
"The intervention measures carried out must be evaluated for effectiveness to ensure the set objectives are met.
"Only participants who show positive progress can be released from the intervention and they must continue regular health checks to prevent a recurrence," the statement added.
Adnan suggested a similar initiative for the private sector to ensure employees adopt healthy lifestyles, saying employers can play a crucial role in effectively reducing obesity issues.
He said the prevalence of obesity among Malaysians needs to be taken more seriously, rather than normalised, as it affects not just civil servants but also the public in general.
Citing the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 report by the MOH, he noted that 54.4 percent of Malaysian adults are overweight, an increase of three percent compared to 50.1 percent in 2019.