By Diana Abd Wahab
SHAH ALAM, Jan 2 — Selangor government provides special provisions to help individuals suffering from mental health undergo treatments for free.
State executive councillor for public health Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said the incentives under the Selangor Mental Sihat (Sehat) programme has provided 700 subsidised treatment slots with a total allocation of RM222,600.
“Indigent individuals facing mental health problems are urged to take the opportunity given as psychiatric treatment is expensive.
“The state government will bear the screening costs, consultation charges with psychiatrists, basic psychotherapy treatments and medication treatments for the first two weeks,” she said in a Facebook post.
Dr Siti Mariah said mental health disorders are the second highest health problem in Malaysia and the matter needs to be dealt with thoroughly.
The programme to assess mental health can be accessed by downloading the Safe Entry Step (SELangkah) application.
Through SELangkah, patients need to register a slot in the Sehat module and select a Selcare clinic as well as a date for screening by a medical officer.
More information on the initiative can be obtained through www.drsitimariah.com/sehat.
On August 30, the state government launched the Sehat programme to deal with mental health issues that have become increasingly worrying since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
The programme allows users to understand the level of their mental health through an initial ‘stress scale’ and ‘risk check’ screening.
