10/12/2025

WEDNESDAY | DEC 10, 2025

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Pick up pace on ageing-nation readiness, says expert

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has updated its nurse staffing figures to an 83% fill rate across federal facilities while maintaining its projection of reaching at least 90% staffing by 2030, it said in a written reply to the Dewan Negara on Monday. The ministry said that as of September this year, 69,494 nurses were serving in the Health Ministry against 84,286 established posts, representing an 83% staffing level. The ministry said several factors contributed to shortages across federal hospitals and clinics. “One factor was the sharp reduction in trainee intake during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the intake for the Health Ministry training institutes’ Diploma in Nursing was only 153 trainees, which indirectly affected the number of graduates produced in 2024,” it said. Another factor was the creation of new posts that outpaced the supply of graduates. “Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 12,925 additional nursing posts were created at the Health Ministry. However, during the same period, the training institutes only produced 4,220 graduates or 33% of the additional posts created,” it added. The ministry said some facilities now require more nurses than originally projected due to “unforeseen factors such as peak patient arrivals and outbreaks of infectious diseases”. The written reply was issued in response to Senator Datuk Mustafa Musa, who asked about projected staffing needs PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must urgently learn from countries that are experiencing with the realities of a rapidly ageing society, says an ageing studies expert, warning that the nation is running out of time to protect its seniors. The warning comes as the long awaited Senior Citizen Bill remains without a firm timeline, even as Malaysia is projected to become an aged nation by 2040. Universiti Teknologi Mara senior lecturer Dr Nur Amalina Aziz said the country still lacks the systems and safeguards needed to support a fast growing elderly population. She pointed to Japan – one of the world’s oldest societies – as a cautionary example. “About 30% of Japan’s population is aged 65 and above, and more than 60% of older adults live alone. In Japan, many elderly individuals living alone have been found dead at home without anyone realising it for days.” To prevent such tragedies, Japan introduced the Zero Isolation Project in 2013, identifying older persons living alone without life insurance and providing them with volunteer support. It also operates “watchover services” that monitor seniors’ wellbeing and send regular updates to family members. “These are proven systems that

among older Malaysians.” Nur Amalina said despite the challenges, there are signs of progress. In June, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the Senior Citizen Bill may be tabled next year, while the 2026–2030 Senior Citizens Action Plan, launched in October, seeks to bolster protection and welfare programmes for Malaysia’s ageing population. Nur Amalina stressed that these initiatives must be accompanied by concrete action on the ground. “Legislation and plans are important, but without proper implementation, community engagement, and support for caregivers, our seniors will remain vulnerable. “With Malaysia’s elderly population set to nearly double in the next two decades, urgent reforms are needed – not just to protect older Malaysians, but to ensure they can live safely, independently and with dignity,” she said.

o With the elderly population set to double, Putrajaya is urged to adopt Japan-style monitoring and pass long-delayed senior protection laws

what most middle or lower-income households can afford.” Even so, she said the silver alert initiative aligns with national goals under the 13th Malaysia Plan, which prioritises long-term care sustainability and seniors’ wellbeing. “Malaysia must introduce specific legislation for older persons without delay to ensure proper protection and address existing gaps. Families must take filial responsibility seriously and those who neglect or abandon elderly parents should be held accountable.” The government, she added, must expand support for caregivers, including assistance for medical needs, adult diapers, nutritious food and other essential supplies. “Strengthening community vigilance is equally crucial to prevent neglect, isolation and safety risks

PETALING JAYA: Communications Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching told the Dewan Negara yesterday that “devices are not babysitters” as she urged parents to play a stronger role in monitoring their children’s internet use. She said weak supervision at home remains one of the biggest risks exposing children to harmful online content. “Parents must monitor their children’s internet use to prevent exposure to violence, crime, gambling and virtual reward systems that encourage aggressive behaviour. Devices are not babysitters – they are not substitutes for parents.” She said the Cabinet has directed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to study age-and-identity verification methods to restrict minors below 16 from accessing harmful online content, but warned that the most effective safeguard still lies at home. “The role of parents is extremely important. Next year, one of MCMC’s initiatives is to expand the Safe Internet campaign to parents so we can educate them on what types of parental-control tools they can use. Unfortunately, not many parents realise these tools exist,” she said. As of Dec 5, Teo said the campaign had been carried out in 8,585 schools and higher-education institutions involving more than 680,000 participants. She said platforms such as YouTube, Google and email services already offer parental-control settings, but public awareness remains low. “We hope that through this campaign, by entering schools and triggered. need coordination committees involving NGOs, local leaders, volunteers and authorities to ensure fast, organised responses. Maintaining regularly updated registries of seniors living alone would further reduce the risk of delayed interventions or missing person cases,” she said. Despite the potential of such systems, Malaysia still faces deep structural challenges. Nur Amalina said the country lacks adequate long-term care services, government healthcare facilities are overstretched and there is severe shortage of both formal and informal caregivers. She said long-term care is expensive, adding further strain. “Basic services can cost around RM1,000 a month, while professional care can reach RM5,000 – far beyond Communities Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

through 2030. In the same reply, the ministry also introduced a key change to the hiring process for new nurses beginning next year. “Starting this year, new appointments of Grade U5 nurses will no longer be required to undergo an interim contract phase,” the ministry said, referring to the temporary contract period previously required before nurses were placed on permanent service. A series of initiatives have been introduced to increase the supply of trained nurses. Among them is the permanent appointment of 3,254 nurses this year, which the ministry described as a key measure to strengthen long-term staffing stability. It said 935 nursing graduates from the training institutes were targeted for appointment to Grade U5 posts next year, which is a 53% increase compared with the 613 graduates for this year. “For this year, a total of 3,343 trainees have been admitted for the Diploma in Nursing programme, higher than the intake of 2,265 trainees last year and 1,667 in 2023,” said the ministry. It added that five public universities and 39 private institutions are now offering the Diploma in Nursing following the lifting of the moratorium on Aug 1, 2024 and that strategic collaboration with private colleges will continue through career briefings to attract graduates to the public health sector. – By FAIZ RUZMAN Malaysia Japan’s experience shows how effective community-based monitoring can prevent isolation and save lives,” she said. On the potential of a silver alert system, Nur Amalina said it could be transformative, but only if supported by a robust community network. “An effective silver alert must track an older person’s location and immediately notify family members, neighbours and the community when a senior wanders off, goes missing or faces danger. “Features such as SOS emergency buttons, fall-detection sensors and routine-activity monitoring could greatly improve safety, particularly for seniors living alone. But technology alone is not enough. “Trained volunteers must be ready to respond when alerts are can adopt.

Have stronger parental oversight on internet use: Deputy minister

Measures rolled out for nurse staffing in public hospitals, clinics: Health Ministry

Without parental supervision children remain vulnerable to harmful online content, said Teo. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

engaging with pupils and students, they will better understand how to protect themselves and what kind of assistance they can seek when they face issues online.” Teo was responding to Senator Norhasmimi Abdul Ghani, who asked about government measures to monitor paedophilia activity on social media and online-gaming platforms. She said enforcement against child exploitation is carried out by the police under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, while MCMC monitors harmful online material and engages platforms on transparency through operations such as Ops Pedo 1.0 and Ops Pedo 2.0. The issue gained urgency when Senator Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman raised concerns about children accessing adult games and making

purchases on YouTube and Google without their parents’ knowledge. Teo also noted that online gaming platforms are not yet a licenced service category but said enforcement remains possible when content breaches the law. “Although online-gaming content is not currently part of a licenced service category, enforcement action can still be taken if the content is found to contravene the law, including Section 233 of Act 588 (Communications and Multimedia Act 1998). “Such action includes takedown requests, further investigation or applications to block related websites, subject to the legal provisions in force. “We are finalising regulations and self-regulatory codes under the Online Safety Act 2025 with specific focus on protecting children online and setting content according to general suitability,” added Teo.