KJ: My father-in-law suffers from dementia

SHAH ALAM - Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said his father-in-law, the former prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was currently suffering from dementia, a medical term for the loss of cognitive functioning

On his Twitter page, Khairy said due to that the 82-year-old was not seen in public.

"It has been challenging for us to see the deterioration in his cognitive function. Some people are aware but many are not.

"The family has decided to openly share this partly to shine a light on dementia and cognitive impairment," he said.

Khairy expressed that it was fortunate that they were able to provide professional care and stressed the importance to provide care to the affected family member.

"Fortunately, we are able to provide professional care. Many others are not able to do so," he said.

Due to that, he said it was crucial to invest in social care to support families who have loved ones that require constant care.

As part of strengthening community-based care under the proposed Health White Paper, he further said his ministry will make a strong case for more investment in publicly funded social care.

Khairy is married to Nori Abdullah.

Abdullah Ahmad or commonly known as Pak Lah was the country's fifth prime minister from 2003 to 2009. During his tenure, he encouraged people to speak up and foster unity within various races in Malaysia.

He further encouraged human capital building and encouraged every household to plant vegetables and for the country to focus on agriculture to boost food security. He also ensured free textbooks were given to all primary and secondary schools.

One of his famous quotes was: "we do not want a situation in Malaysia where we have first-class facilities or infrastructure, but a third-class mentality".