Ministry to look into creating high-skilled caregivers to prepare for ageing nation - Nancy

SHAH ALAM - The Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry is looking into training and developing high-skilled caregivers to handle the ageing nation in future.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Sukhri said it was crucial to focus on the caregivers to train them as professionals in order to prepare for ageing nation.

"We want to train the caregivers since there are a lot of caregivers needed not only for the ageing nation but for disabled individuals including children," she said.

Nancy said this when met by reporters at Berjaya Times Square after officiating the celebration of the RM1 Million Sales Milestone in Support of Women Entrepreneurs and Communities by Pusat Pembangunan Artisan (PPA).

When asked about developing future retirement homes, Nancy said the private sectors should focus on retirement homes for the ageing society.

"Retirement homes must be provided by the private sectors, and we will provide the support through giving training for the caregivers, it's not just for the olders but also for the young ones, children who are abused, neglected and abandoned.

"They are all under our care, so we need caregivers who are well-trained and skilful for them to get the job and that we in Malaysia to get people who are more knowledgable to handle this kind of situation," she added.

It was reported that the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) revealed that ageing population in the country had increased to 6.8 per cent of the total population in 2020 compared to 5 per cent in 2010.

The government spent a total of RM28 billion on pension expenses, which involved about 887,000 public retirees.

The government under Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry also offered a monthly payment of RM500 to senior citizens who have household incomes of less than RM1, 169 under the Bantuan Warga Emas programme.