PUTRAJAYA: The proposal for the ‘Putrajaya Sihat Sejahtera’ programme under Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS) was presented during the first ANMS Cabinet Committee meeting for this year, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In a statement today, Ahmad Zahid, who is also the committee’s chairman, said the proposal caught his attention due to the statistics highlighted, indicating that the obesity rate and cholesterol levels of Putrajaya residents exceed the national rate.
Ahmad Zahid said the programme, which focuses on civil servants, aimed to enhance health literacy and increase their involvement in the healthy lifestyle culture, including health screenings and improving environmental cleanliness practices, among other things.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that 16.1 per cent of deaths in Putrajaya were caused by ischemic heart disease, 10 per cent of deaths were due to pneumonia (bacterial infection or inflammation of the lungs), and 5.2 per cent of deaths were due to cerebrovascular disease (stroke).
Ahmad Zahid said the six-year programme, which will commence this year, will be held at civil servants’ workplaces, encompassing aspects of a healthy and active lifestyle, a supportive environment, healthy nutrition and mental wellness, adding that the strategies for the implementation will involve health literacy, health interventions and recognitions.
“I hope ANMS could spur the people of this country to cultivate a healthy lifestyle as the primary defence against various diseases, thereby maintaining their well-being in line with the government’s aspirations outlined in the Malaysia MADANI Concept,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the allocation of grants for the Malaysian Community Health Agents (MyCHAMPION) under ANMS and the report on ANMS achievements were also presented during the meeting.
Launched on Nov 11, 2022, ANMS seeks to promote a healthy lifestyle culture to enhance wellness, provide supportive environments, empower individuals and communities in self-health management, and strengthen stakeholder cooperation to achieve wellness.
He said the meeting also discussed phase two of the ANMS health promotion (2023-2035), which focuses on promotional activities, improving infrastructure, and enhancing solidarity with strategic partners and communities through the National Health Promotion Campaign and ‘Bulan Malaysia Sihat Sejahtera’ (BMSS) (Wellness Month).
“During the meeting, I also stated that the Unity Government is focusing on improving the quality of public health. This commitment is translated through Budget 2024, which allocates RM30 million to implement ANMS initiatives, including the National Health Promotion Campaign, National Health Screening Initiative and Wellness Hub,” he said.
He said all strategic partners, including ministries, government departments and agencies, as well as private agencies and non-governmental organisations, are ready to commit to implementing initiatives under phase two of the ANMS. -Bernama
