By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Aug 10 — The First Selangor Plan’s (RS-1) initiative to focus on health-related issues is seen as an appropriate step toward enhancing Selangor’s healthcare system.
Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) lecturer Dato’ Dr Khalid Ibrahim said currently, the country faces numerous health risks, in addition to a polluted environment that threatens the health of its people.
“The RS-1 health programme is beneficial to the people of Selangor since it helps to ensure their health status. Nowadays, air and water pollution occur often, resulting in the spread of dangerous diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.
“Similarly, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and mental health are on the rise nowadays. Consequently, the RS-1 could aid in the prevention of the disease in addition to providing early treatment,” he said when contacted.
Dr Khalid, who is also the former Selangor State Health Department director, suggested the formation of a committee at the level of the local council or district to ensure that more people could benefit from the development programme.
“This would help the Selangor government to focus on its agenda. Each location must be allocated a medical officer to monitor the current situation.
“The move would also benefit the Health Ministry, and we could see two administrations working together to address public issues. Selangor is the only state that offers such incentives, and other states should follow suit,” he added.
Under the RS-1, more residents of the state would be eligible for the Iltizam Selangor Sihat scheme, which allows them to get basic treatment up to RM500, insurance coverage up to RM5,000, and a death benefit payment (khairat kematian) of RM1,000.
In addition to medical and treatment services, the state government offers vaccinations to ensure that more Selangor people receive the best possible protection.
