Programmes to ensure Orang Asli get nutritious food implemented since 2010

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IPOH, May 7 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry has implemented programmes to improve nutrition among the Orang Asli children in Pos Kemar, Gerik under the Community Feeding Program (CFM) since 2010.

In a statement issued today, the Perak Menteri Besar’s Office said the initiative started with four Orang Asli settlements before it was being expanded to seven settlements with a total of 17 CFM's centers in Pos Kemar.

"Once a week, the children were given milk, biscuits, and vitamins by the local volunteers.

"However, Kampung Ralak and seven other Orang Asli settlements could not be reached through this programme due to logistics and transportation issues," the statement said.

It was issued in response to a report by an English paper ‘We feel we may go extinct’: Orang Asli are starving in Perak’s jungles’ on May 5.

According to the statement, for the record there are 643 children aged under six years old in Pos Kemar with 86 of them who had malnutrition issues placed CFM since 2010.

"As for vaccination 80 percent of the children in Pos Kemar had received polio vaccination while 75 percent of them had received MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination. Some of the children were missing the vaccination as their parents have moved out from the area to deeper jungle.

"In order to address the issue of vaccination among the Orang Asli Children, the Health Ministry had set up subsidiary clinics in at least three locations in Kampung Ralak/Pensek, Kampung Panderas and Kampung Lerlar," the statement said.

It also said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu had stressed that in order to bring about changes, there should be a continuous program to elevate the quality of life of the Orang Asli community.

"He pointed out that each village or settlement has its own unique problems and the ‘one size fits all’ solution would not work in truly helping the community,"  said the statement.

Earlier, at a press conference,  Ahmad Faizal said he wanted all parties, including the media, with information on the problems faced by the public, especially in rural areas, not to sensationalise these issues but to report them to the relevant departments.

“The media should be looking for ways to help these people to solve their problems, not sensationalise them. If you have information, report to the Social Welfare Department, people’s representative or any related department so that action can be taken,” he told reporters after witnessing the signing ceremony of an agreement between Scanda Sky and Malaysia Airlines Berhad here.

-- BERNAMA