The National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Cyberjaya will function as a centre of control and coordination of mental health services across public and private agencies and NGOs.
MOH’s allocation of services and supplies for psychiatry and mental health were cut by RM580,000, while the health education budget suffered a 15% cut (RM9 mil). Peka B40 lost RM5 mil.
Psychiatrist Dr Gayathri K. Kumarasuriar calls for more trained therapists in public hospitals as a surge in demand leaves patients waiting for weeks or months for an appointment.
The MUDA president says less than 1% of MOH’s budget is directed to mental health. Most upper middle-income countries spend 2.4% of their health budget on mental health.
Police statistics show an 81% rise in suicide cases in 2021, up from 631 cases in 2020, arising from chronic stress, loss of income, domestic violence, financial crisis, and unexpected deaths during the pandemic.