PETALING JAYA: Media personnel may be asked to undergo health screening under a programme worth RM4,000 before their media accreditation is approved, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communication Minister said this screening is part of the government's efforts to ensure that media personnel are health-conscious and prioritise healthcare despite their demanding schedules.
The Minister said this at the launch of the Journalists' Health Screening Programme - a joint collaboration between the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) and Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL) here Saturday (Oct 31).
"We must make time for our health before something happens. I do not want to force anyone (to undergo medical screening). I want to encourage them. But this is extremely important. We want to identify potential health problems early, particularly non-communicable diseases such as artherosclerosis, cardio-pulmonary conditions and diabetes," Fahmi said.
Also present were MMC chair Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan, Star Media Group chief content officer Datin Esther Ng, Media Prima News and Current Affairs deputy group managing editor Datuk Farrah Naz Abd Karim, and Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo general manager Phyllis Wong Yang Yong.
"I would like to discuss with Tan Sri Nalini and the team at the Malaysian Media Council what mechanisms we should consider to encourage journalists to undergo regular medical check-ups. Perhaps the Information Department could, as part of the annual media accreditation card renewal process, ask applicants whether they have undergone a medical check-up.
"I do not want us to read about unfortunate incidents involving our media colleagues only after they have happened. We want to identify potential health problems early.
"I would like to invite CVS and the CVSKL Foundation to join us in celebrating National Journalists' Day in June next year. I intend to work with several partners to raise funds to contribute to this initiative. We must ensure that as many as possible of the more than 12,000 individuals holding media accreditation cards can benefit from this initiative," said Fahmi.
MMC chair Nallini said that the welfare of journalists should be prioritised and not taken for granted by media organisations.
“The MMC is very pleased to stand alongside CVSKL and the National Union of Journalists in this effort. It also makes the important point that the welfare of journalists is not the responsibility of any single body; it requires the participation, commitment, and goodwill of the wider media community.
"Journalists are exceptionally good at asking difficult questions, investigating everyone else's problems, and holding everyone else to account. Yet, on the subject of their own health, they become remarkably reluctant witnesses.
“Ask a journalist when he last had a checkup, and the answer is almost always the same: very soon, after this assignment. And of course, there's always another one that comes along.
“Screening is not dramatic, it will never make the headlines, but it is very often the difference between a problem that can be managed and one that cannot.
“Many journalists work under real strain: long and unpredictable hours, unrelenting deadlines, the burden of covering events that are distressing, and, increasingly, uncertainty of employment.
“Some have spent decades in newsrooms, while others work independently or on a freelance basis like stringers, often without the medical benefits that others take for granted.
“Whatever their work and whatever platform they serve, they belong to the same media ecosystem, and their welfare is our common concern. This is why this initiative is more than just a medical screening programme. It shows what becomes possible when different organisations set aside their separate agendas and act together for a common purpose," said Nallini.
At a media conference after the event, Fahmi said that the government will discuss with MMC and all media organisations to assess the suitability and practicality of the health screening initiative.
"We recognise that, for example, if the initiative involves medical facilities located in the Klang Valley, it may pose some difficulties for our colleagues in Sabah, Sarawak and areas outside the Klang Valley.
"Therefore, we are not making it compulsory, but we want to encourage all media organisations to ensure that their staff undergo health screenings at least once a year," said Fahmi.
