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IPOH – The Health Ministry (KKM) is ready to assist the Public Service Department (JPA) in developing Mental Health Guidelines for the Public Service.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry's expertise, particularly in mental health, could be leveraged to support JPA’s efforts to address mental health challenges among civil servants.
He said KKM, as the lead agency in healthcare, was prepared to provide technical input and expert views to support the development of both the guidelines and a planned mental health index.
“Certainly, the Health Ministry feels compelled to help. As the guardian of health, we are always ready to leverage the expertise of our specialist teams to support this JPA initiative.
“Especially technical input and mental health expertise in managing mental health issues involving more than 55,000 civil servants,” he told reporters.
He said this after officiating the National-level World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 celebration at the Dewan Utama of Kolej Poly-Tech Mara Ipoh here on Monday.
Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry was ready to assist JPA in developing the Mental Health Guidelines for the Public Service and the planned mental health index.
“Although we already have guidelines, they want to develop their own to address the needs of more than 50,000 individuals affected by or facing mental health challenges.
“We are ready to help develop both their index and guidelines,” he said.
On Sept 21, Deputy Director-General of Public Service (Development) Datuk Dr Mohd Bakhari Ismail was reported as saying that 55,169 civil servants who underwent screening through the Digital Psychological Health Profile System for Civil Servants (MyPsyD) were categorised as being at high risk of mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies.
Meanwhile, Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry had also introduced two new suicide prevention initiatives this year.
One of them is the National Suicide and Fatal Injury Registry Malaysia (NSFIRM), developed with the involvement of the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (NCEM) and the Forensic Department.
He said the registry was important in providing data on fatal injuries, including suicide cases and accidents.
KKM has also launched the Guidelines for the Implementation of Postvention Services to strengthen psychosocial support and intervention following suicide incidents.
Dr Dzulkefly said the guidelines were specifically aimed at supporting family members, colleagues, spouses and communities affected by such incidents.
