IPOH, Nov 23 — The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development will study the proposal to allow the use of second-hand child restraint system (CRS) sets which are still in good working order, to reduce the burden of those from the low-income households with young children.
Its deputy minister Hannah Yeoh, said the ministry was still in the midst of gathering detailed information of the proposal and it would be announced once it was finalised.
“This is because many parents bought (CRS) sets but have stopped using them when their children are older.
“The policy (on CRS) is not to burden the parents but to protect their children (in vehicles in the event of road accidents),” she told reporters after officiating the National Welfare Foundation (YKN)’s Anjung Kasih facility at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here, today.
In the meantime, Yeoh expressed her hope that parents would not view the policy of using child safety seats as troublesome.
She said people needed to put safety first because if the policy was not implemented, the children could become a victim in the event of a road accident.
Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the government would elaborate on the policy on the use of child safety seats in light of the complaints voiced by parents.
Meanwhile, when commenting on the Anjung Kasih facility, Yeoh said thus far there were 11 Anjung Kasih facilities operating at government hospitals nationwide since its inception in 2006.
Anjung Kasih is an initiative by the YKN which offers rooms and washrooms for underprivileged out-of-towners who have to accompany family members admitted to the government hospital.
She said among the hospitals with such facility were the Selayang Hospital, Selangor; the Sultan Ahmad Shah Hospital in Temerloh, Pahang; the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital in Seremban, Negri Sembilan; the Sibu Hospital, Sarawak and the Penang Hospital.
Another Anjung Kasih facility has already being constructed and ready at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, while four others were still under construction, namely, at the Sandakan Hospital, Sabah; the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya, the Putrajaya Hospital and the Melaka Hospital, she said. — Bernama
