Sarawak played host to the fourth and last leg of the Jelajah Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS)and MADANI Afiat programmes at the regional level for the year 2024, attracting more than 13,000 people at Dataran Perayaan Petra Jaya, Kuching on 16 November 2024.
Various activities were carried out throughout the occasion, including health screenings, strategic partner agency exhibitions, Rahmah sales, as well as interactive exhibitions that promote health and well-being to the local community.
The two programmes aimed to bring health services closer to the people, in line with the goal the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has set in realising health reforms stated in the Second Pillar of the Health White Paper.
This particular pillar – “Advancing Health Promotion and Disease Prevention” – proposes a shift in focus from the ‘sick care’ model (caring of ill patients) to a more comprehensive and proactive ‘health care’ model.
“Through these programmes, MOH strives to increase awareness and access to better health services by focusing on aspects of disease prevention, mental health and healthy lifestyles among the community,” the ministry adds.
Jelajah ANMS and MADANI Afiat are just two of numerous initiatives by MOH and its health departments across Malaysia in terms of one core function of public health: health promotion.
Defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the process that “enables people to increase control over their own health”, it encompasses diverse social and environmental interventions designed to improve and safeguard individual health and quality of life by tackling and preventing underlying causes of poor health instead of solely focusing on treatment and cure.
WHO cited three key elements that ensure effective health promotion:
- Good governance for health, i.e. health as a central component of government policy;
- Health literacy, i.e. the knowledge, skills and information needed for people to make choices that can lead to a healthy lifestyle; and
- Healthy cities, i.e. the role of local governments in ensuring effective urban planning and developing preventive strategies in communities and primary healthcare services.
Asked about community-related health promotional programmes that have been implemented in 2024, Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Sarawak (JKNS) notes to RAKAN Sarawak some that have been organised by key divisions of the department.
The Food Safety and Quality Division, for example, has been carrying out promotional activities through its Communication, Consumerism and Surveillance Branch to increase awareness of the importance of hygiene and food safety.
These activities are aimed at all groups of society, be they students from all levels of education, cafeteria operators at boarding schools, women or the general public.
The branch has also worked together with the Industrial Services Branch of the same division to enhance awareness of the many food safety certifications offered by MOH for food industry operators, as seen through talks related to HACCP, GMP, Trust My Catering and BeSS certifications as well as Home-based Food Listing.
Currently, they are collaborating with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad for an outreach programme targeting food premises at airports throughout Sarawak.
The first of which that was held at Kuching International Airport in November 2024 saw 13 of these premises being awarded the BeSS certification.
Meanwhile, the Pharmaceutical Services Division implemented the Tolak Ubat Tidak Sah (TOBaTS) campaign in Miri, Kapit and Kuching between September and November 2024, highlighting the issue of supply and sale of illegal drugs in Malaysia.
An initiative by MOH, the campaign’s objectives include increasing awareness among consumers and stakeholders of the dangers and risks of illegal drug use; ensuring consumers obtain drug supplies from legitimate sources; and preventing consumers from being exposed to the dangers of drug sales and advertising, especially those posted on social media without approval from MOH.
TOBaTS consists of five main components: drugs not registered with MOH; counterfeit drugs; drugs mixed with prohibited substances or poisons; drugs obtained from illegal sources; and drugs imported without the approval of MOH.
Additionally, the division has conducted a workshop for pharmacists in Sarawak to strengthen their ability to communicate with deaf patients, especially at the pharmacy counter.
Held on 12 and 13 October 2024, the workshop was a collaborative effort with Sarawak Deaf Community Services Association, with the goal of equipping participants with basic skills in sign language, and giving them the opportunity to understand the unique needs of the deaf community – in line with the Malaysian Government’s endeavour to expand inclusion in health care.
Through the initiative, pharmacists are expected to deliver more friendly pharmaceutical services to the deaf community, subsequently enhancing the effectiveness of health care services in Sarawak.
For the Oral Health Division, its outreach programmes by the mobile dental squad have been growing in districts that lack dental clinics.
These programmes, whether organised solely or collaboratively, are dedicated to providing dental services to rural communities, school children, and the Penan community living in divisions of Miri, Bintulu, Limbang and Kapit.
Recent ones focusing on said community include a community service programme by Belaga Dental Clinic and Imam Response & Relief Team (IMARET) at Rh Penan Lusong Laku, Kapit from 11 to 14 October 2024, and dental services to the community of Long Jekitan, Miri from 4 to 8 November 2024.
References:
Galileo. P. (2024, March 9). 5 new dental facilities to be developed in S’wak, says Premier. The Borneo Post. https://www.theborneopost.com/2024/03/09/5-new-dental-facilities-to-be-developed-in-swak-says-premier/
Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia. (2024a). Health White Paper. https://www.moh.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/7313
Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia. (2024, November 16). Majlis Perasmian Jelajah Nasional Malaysia Sihat dan Program Madani Afiat Peringkat Wilayah Sarawak. https://moh.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/11665
World Health Organisation. (2016, August 20). Health promotion. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/health-promotion
