Children, The Family and Health: What it Takes to Give Children Long Life
The Singapore Workshop: The Malaysia Situation
The Government of Malaysia has provided hospitals and clinics throughout the country and the Ministry of Health in particular has introduced various health programmes to ensure that the population of Malaysia especially that of women and children remain healthy and that the Infant Mortality rate is at its lowest. Therefore with better medical facilities and the infrastructure provided by the government and the private sectors, the health of Malaysian children on the whole is not considered a problem in many parts of the country.
Existing Social Conditions
However, sometimes one does find among developed housing areas over crowded squatters existing in spite of continuous efforts by the relevant authorities to relocate them. It is these overcrowded squatter areas that pose health problems especially to infants and children due to the lack of proper sanitation and clean water supplies.
The majority of the people in the squatter are immigrants from other states of the country with low income and many children born close together. The ever rising cost of food and services leads to health problems for mothers and children because of the limited income of the families.
Another area of concern is that the rate of divorce among young couples is on the rise. Often the young mothers are left with children to look after with not enough financial support. Those with education or marketable skills can find jobs to maintain themselves and the children while others are faced with problem of coping with life. Often the children are at the receiving end of the accumulative effects of the problems, which later results in the children developing emotional, psychological and mental instability, which in many cases affects their physical health.
Suggested Remedies
The Government of Malaysia considers problems of the squatter areas as something very critical. At the Ministerial level, low cost houses are being built with proper sanitation and water supply. As for the problems of the single parents, panels have been set up at National and state levels comprising the following:
a. Peer (support) group
b. Legal group
c. Economic group
d. Education group
The social Worker plays an important role in giving a helping hand in the implementation of all the projects at the grass root leve.
Last Modified: November 29, 2002