Dr Dzulkefly: I want ideas that matter

SHAH ALAM, April 1 (Bernama) – A communication channel has been opened for Ministry of Health (MOH) employees (but not those in the JUSA category or above) to share Ideas That Matter, a programme announced today by its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

All contributions -- including the low-down on workplace struggles and problems -- are welcome at ideas.moh.gov.my until April 30, with the intention of coming up with innovative workplace solutions to issues faced by staffers.

“It is for us to work together to improve the quality of work and services at MOH,” he told reporters at the Rise of the Asian Tiger Convention at Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor (DATC), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) where he was a panellist.

While discussing the subject of Building a Sustainable Socioeconomic Institution to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century at the gathering, Dr Dzulkefly opined that Malaysia needs to ensure it is equipped with the right facilities and expertise for when it attains ageing nation status in 2030.

"Based on data in 2017, the number of people aged 60 and above is 6.3 per cent of Malaysia’s of 33 million population. By 2020, the number of people aged 60 and above would be 7 per cent, with the number expected to increase to 15 per cent by 2030," he said.

The other panellists were Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) chairman, Tan Sri Dr Kamal Salih; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Tun Fatimah Hashim Women's Leadership Centre director, Associate Prof Dr Madeline Berma and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) “Kanak-kanak Pinggiran” (Children on the Edge) report co-author, Zouhair Mohd Rosli.

Dr Dzulkefly added that the government has laid the groundwork to guarantee people get access to healthcare via the Skim Peduli Sihat, National B40 Protection Scheme and MySalam Insurance Scheme.

-- BERNAMA