KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — DAP backbenchers have called for the government to enforce a moratorium on all prosecutions related to attempted suicide.
They made this call after the Bill to amend Section 309 of the Penal Code to “decriminalise attempted suicide” and strengthen the Mental Health Act 2021 [Act 615] was tabled today in Parliament.
“Between this parliamentary session and the next, a moratorium on all prosecutions for suicide attempts is to be declared immediately.
“Today’s tabling in Parliament is a first step. More has to be done, and thus, we propose a few recommendations moving forward,” Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng and Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lim Yi Wei said in a statement today.
In terms of short-term measures, their recommendations are increasing the budget allocation for hospital-based psychiatric services to 2.4 per cent of the total national health budget in upcoming Budgets; amending relevant clinical guidelines to ensure psychotherapy is introduced as a first line of treatment alongside pharmacotherapy; and developing empathic guidelines and modules to train first responders on handling people with mental illnesses.
As for long-term measures, these encompass establishing multi-ministerial and multi-sectoral mechanisms on mental health; systemically increasing the number of mental health professionals per capita and improving distribution to address the urban-rural divide; and improving national data and the monitoring of mental health disorders.
Citing a 2018 study, the lawmakers said there were a total of 410 registered psychiatrists in Malaysia in private universities, private clinics, public universities and government hospitals.
“The state with the highest number of psychiatrists is Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur with a total of 94 psychiatrists which has a ratio of 5.24 per 100,000 population followed by Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya with 3.38 per 100,000 population.
“The states with the least ratio of psychiatrists were Sabah with 0.54 and Kedah with 0.55 per 100,000 population,” they said.
They also stressed that even as Malaysia marks one year of the endemic phase, there are still people struggling to cope with the fallout from Covid-19.
“This is a reminder for the government — we may relax standard operating procedures (SOPs) but must pursue reform and resilience for the next major shocks that may come our way,” they said.
Earlier, during the tabling of the Bill, several points were raised in support of decriminalising attempted suicide.
They included reducing the chances of at-risk individuals choosing violent, irreversible means of harming themselves to avoid prosecution should they survive; changing stigma into understanding and treatment provision; and addressing the socio-economic inequalities that aggravate mental health distress.
A new provision will be included in the Mental Health Act 2001 to empower first-responders attending a suicide attempt scene to admit the person to a psychiatric hospital.
