BANGI: After declaring war on Sugar, Smoking and Salt, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has now waged a new war against stigmatisation, to combat the rising mental health burden.
“I had (waged war) against three S’s when I returned as Health Minister,” he said during his speech at the Mental Health Convention 2025 here on Wednesday (Feb 19).
After the war on sugar, smoking and salt, the fourth is the war of stigma,” he added.
“You love me, you hate me I have no choice. The Prime Minister brought me back to complete my unaccomplished reforms,” he said while adding that he has come back with a “vengeance” to see through the agenda of a healthy nation.
Citing statistics, Dzulkefly said the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023 revealed that one million Malaysians above age 16 suffered from depression while the number of mental health issues among adolescents doubled from 424,000 (8%) in 2019 to 922,000 (16.5%) in 2023.
The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents, too showed an increase.
He said mental health problems have also led to economic losses to the tune of trillions globally due to absenteeism and presenteeism.
He said as long as stigmatisation exists, those who suffer from mental health conditions will not come forward to seek help and treatment.
On that note, the ministry has carried out several initiatives including the Let’s Talk campaign in 2018 and the Stop Stigma, Mental Health Belongs to Everyone (Hentikan Stigma, Kesihatan Mental Milik Semua).
To increase mental health literacy, the Minda Sihat roadshows were held across five states namely Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Melaka and Pahang.
Under Budget 2025, a total of RM24.6mil have also been allocated to strengthen mental health services and increase the capacity of the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health.
