KANGAR, Sept 30 — The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) has launched the first “PapaCare” programme in Perlis to provide men in the lower-income (B40) group in the state to earn an income by offering men’s wellness massages.

This comes following the success of the state’s post-maternity care and services programme “MamaCare” in raising the standard of living for single mothers and housewives the B40 target group, said Perlis State Secretary Azman Mohd Yusof.

“PapaCare Perlis has 20 participants who are set to offer men’s wellness massage services, namely a full-body massage based on the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM 3) and have the potential to earn at least RM2,000 a month,” he said when met by reporters during the closing ceremony of the workshops for the “MamaCare” and “PapaCare” services held at the Putra Regency Hotel here today.

Azman said there was high demand for men’s wellness services in the country’s northern zone, but it was still carried out privately by masseuses in rural areas, unlike those available for women.

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 “Usually when men reach the age of 40 and above, there will be well-being disorders such as muscle aches and joints, as well as weakness, so these registered services are offered professionally to those in need.

According to Azman, the number of entrepreneurs under the Perlis Papacare programme is expected to increase to 100 within a year, to prove the success of the programme.

The implementation of the PapaCare programme is similar to that of MamaCare, where participants’ data will be stored in a dedicated LPPKN portal to enable customers to book their services.

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Azman said in the long-term, LPPKN’s subsidiary, Family Wellbeing Sdn Bhd is set to market both programmes to the local and overseas communities, as well as gaining government recognition to create a franchise which is expected to be implemented by 2021. — Bernama