BATU GAJAH: About 1,000 participants attended the launch of Batu Gajah District Council’s (MDBG) Mental Health Day 2025 Programme.
Batu Gajah District Council president Mohamad Razif Ramli said that the programme focuses on strengthening mental health in the workforce.
“This is the first time Batu Gajah is hosting such an initiative, which focuses mainly on civil servants across the district.
“The purpose of the programme is to highlight the need to build strong resilience, particularly among civil servants who often face high pressure and crisis situations,”
he said after officiating the event at Dewan Bandaran Kinta on Tuesday (Nov 18).
“The theme is ‘Access to Services – Mental Health in Disasters and Emergencies’ which is very relevant in these times,” he added.
Agencies taking part include MDBG, the State Secretary’s Office (SUK), Land and Mines Office, District and Land Office, Public Works Department (JKR) and the Civil Defence Force (APM).
Razif said today’s launch marks only the beginning, with follow-up activities planned specifically for MDBG staff through collaboration with SUK’s counselling unit and experts from the Health Ministry and the District Health Office.
“These programmes will focus on the mental wellbeing of our workforce and will help us identify necessary corrective measures and detailed preventive actions. This is a sustainable long-term step in addressing mental health issues,” he said.
A Mindfulness Relaxation Technique workshop was conducted by a psychology officer from Batu Gajah police headquarters, who guided participants through simple breathing and relaxation techniques to relieve stress.
Also present was speaker Syamsul Debat, speaker for the Kopiah & Kopi programme, who delivered an energetic motivational session touching on understanding stress, practising gratitude, and managing emotions with patience and acceptance.
For many attendees, the programme offered much-needed insight into managing stress in the workplace.
Assistant enforcement officer with MDBG, Nurul Sofia Mohd Lasim said that mental health these days is very important.
“We always say we’re stressed, but we don’t actually know how to deal with it. Programmes like this help us gain the right knowledge.
“I supervise 11 people with different attitudes, so learning how to handle them better is definitely helpful for me,” she said.
Civil servant Nor Athira Norazeni, 38, said such programmes should be held more often.
“Once every six months would be good. Mental health is very crucial, especially at the workplace,” she said.
For manager Syahrul Khairy Ahmad Fauzi, 41, the sharing sessions helped him see stress management clearer.
“It was a very good learning experience. Now I have a clearer idea of how to manage problems and reduce stress, not just through exercise but also through the way we think.
“One of the tips was to practise gratitude and acceptance. Once we learn to be thankful for what’s around us, things start to make sense and we must be sincere,” he said.
