KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 465 cases of attempted suicide were referred to the Health Ministry (MoH) for treatment between January and July this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Adham Baba.
He said the cases, however, involved those who had already been receiving treatment at MoH’s facilities and was not caused by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic alone.
“A total of 9,502 cases of mental disorders with suicidal behaviour have been discharged from MoH hospitals and were recorded during the period from January to July 2020,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut) on a proposal to set up a National Suicide Registry Malaysia database, as well as the number of suicide cases and the latest trend in mental health cases recorded in the country since March.
Dr Adham said MoH had presented a proposal paper for the National Suicide and Fatal Injury Registry Malaysia on May 21 to the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department.
The project has been listed in the 12th Malaysia Plan’s rolling plan with an allocation of RM4.2 million. – Bernama, December 3, 2020