KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 44,901 civil servants are at ‘high risk’ of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behaviour, says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) said the finding was a result of screenings under the Public Service Psychological Health Digital Profiling System (MyPsyD).
The figure represents 4.6% of the 975,780 civil servants who participated in the screening between March 1 and Dec 31, 2024.
She said the Public Service Department (JPA) developed MyPsyD to assess the psychological health of officers.
"Overall, the implementation of the MyPsyD psychological health screening is a significant government initiative in identifying psychological and mental health risks among officers.
"The department’s concern, supported by professional intervention through preventive strategies and early interventions, is expected to holistically safeguard the well-being of civil servants and, in turn, enhance their productivity throughout their service," she said in a written reply uploaded on Parliament’s website on Wednesday (Feb 5).
Dr Zaliha was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus) regarding specific government programmes following reports that more than 40,000 civil servants were experiencing psychological health issues.
In response, she said the government had taken strategic measures to prevent and address the identified issues through a comprehensive approach.
"These measures include immediate referrals to specialists for serious cases, psychological interventions through psychotherapy and close monitoring by psychological officers.
"Through the department’s Psychological Management Division (BPPs), various competency training programmes are provided and the Integrated Intervention Management Guidelines was developed along with related treatment and referral plans, to strengthen psychological services in the public sector," she said. - Bernama
