By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Oct 19: Emotional and mental health issues should be prioritised not only for patients, but also for frontline personnel, says Deputy Premier of Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Dr Sim stated this today in his speech when officiating at the 2022 World Counselling Day seminar held at SUPP headquarters (HQ) here.
“I am very interested in this year’s theme, “Emotional health is your core”, because emotions play a major role in our daily lives and are very important to our mental health because they affect our cognitive, coping skills, and social life.
“The goal of today’s seminar is to emphasise emotional health in order to assist front-line officers who frequently experience stress in their line of work to optimise and control their emotions, as well as to develop harmony and wellness in the workplace by practising intensive emotional management,” he said.
Dr Sim, who is also the Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government, noted that in 2021, Sarawak ranked fourth in Malaysia for mental health issues.
“The common problem reported is related to depression. Therefore, this shows the significance and importance of psychotherapy for the people of Sarawak in meeting their emotional and mental needs,” he added.
Also present were Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) director Dr Ngian Hie Ung, SGH vice director (Management and Administrative) Wan Samsulri Wan Hasbi, and Sarawak State Counselling Psychology coordinator Hayati Hasin Sharbini. — DayakDaily
