KUALA LUMPUR: Over 10,000 workers across Malaysia have been trained to deal with mental health emergencies thanks to the Occupational Mental Health First Aid (OMHFA) programme, says Steven Sim.
The Human Resources Minister praised the success of the programme, which was announced in February last year, as having exceeded its original goal of 10,000 participants.
He said his ministry would continue its efforts to implement more mental health safety programmes for workers in the country as part of the government’s effort to tackle mental health issues in the country.
“We are aware that mental health issues continue to be a recurring concern in not just workplaces but also among the people due to recent concerns and issues that result in stress.
“On our part, we hope to continue implementing and expanding workplace mental health programmes over this year as well,” he said in a press conference after launching the Asean Safe and Healthy Workers Summit 2025 (Asean OSH) at KLCC on Tuesday (Jan 21).
Speaking on Asean OSH itself, Sim said the summit is expected to take place sometime in August this year in Malaysia and would be pivotal to advancing occupational safety and health (OSH) across the region.
“Through this summit, we aim to position Malaysia and Asean as a global leader in OSH best practices and innovation by creating smart and safe workplaces using the latest innovations such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).
“This conference will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, safety professionals and academics to exchange knowledge, share best practices and foster strategic collaborations.
“I believe that we can provide a future-proof workforce by fostering regional and international collaborations especially with Malaysia being the Asean chair this year,” he said.
Sim added that the summit will see a number of conferences, exhibitions and seminars on OSH that will be available for all participants to join, including those from our fellow Asean neighbours.
