Occupational therapy for mental health boost
Jamaliah (seated) listening to a briefing while on her rounds to visit booths on rehabilitation equipment at the MOTNC 2025 in Klang.
Selangor government teams up with association to plan new rehabilitation programmes for communities across 12 districts
Selangor government is open to working with Malaysian Occupational Therapy Association (Mota) to improve mental health support and create a more inclusive public healthcare system in the state.
State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the collaboration could strengthen the state's mental health efforts, particularly through early intervention programmes like Selangor Mental Sihat (Sehat).
The Sehat programme focuses on emotional and mental well-being and includes several support channels – the 'Sehat Hub Counsellor' programme, the Sehat Hotline and regular mental health talk slots such as 'Bicara Hati bersama Kaunselor' and 'Pakar Psikologi' on SelangorFM radio.
For a start, she urged the Selangor Health Department (JKNS) to work with Mota in carrying out rehabilitation programmes for communities across 12 districts in the state.
'Occupational therapists can play a key role in advocacy and promoting the services offered because there may be some in the community who do not know how to seek treatment and rehabilitation,' she told Bernama at the launching of the 2025 Malaysian Occupational Therapy National Conference (MOTNC) in Klang.
Also present were 2025 MOTNC chairperson Dr Mohamad Qayum Mohamad Sabri, Mota president Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Zamir Che Daud and the Health Ministry occupational therapy rehabilitation officer and medical therapist profession head Nora Hamid.
Jamaliah also highlighted the urgent need to increase the number of occupational therapists in Malaysia to meet the current demand, especially with the increased number of senior citizens, chronic diseases, mental health issues, and special needs children.
With the current ratio of only one occupational therapist for more than 10,000 people, she said Malaysia was still far behind when compared to Japan (1:100) and the United States (1:5,000).
'Extra effort such as training more students, empowering the career pathway, expanding service opportunities and recognising the contribution of the profession need to be implemented immediately for the welfare of the people,' she said.
Jamaliah said MOTNC had become an important platform to strengthen cross-sector collaboration networks, and a catalyst for new innovations in interventional approaches in Malaysia and to enhance the standards of the profession to a higher level.
The three-day conference was organised by Mota, in collaboration with the Occupational Therapy Services of the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Department of Health and the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
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