KUCHING, Sept 26: Sarawak will conduct an extensive study to map out the profiles of the elderly population in the State starting next year.
Sarawak Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the study would be conducted by three local universities, namely Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (Swinburne Sarawak), University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), and Curtin University Malaysia.
“The agreed time frame for the study will be one year, starting next year.
“But before that, we have to present this proposal to the Sarawak Development Executive Committee (SDEC) and then to the State Cabinet because we need an endorsement from the Cabinet on what we will be doing and the financial implications for the research,” she said in a press conference held at Bangunan Baitul Makmur 2 today.
She further said the title of the study is ‘Research on Preparation for An Ageing Society: The Profile of and Ageing Issues Affecting The Elderly in Sarawak’.
The study is expected to provide comprehensive recommendations for an Elderly Policy for Sarawak; a systematic and structured Ageing Nation Action Plan 2023–2030 for Sarawak; as well as targeted, evidence-based, effective, and sustainable interventions and programmes to address ageing issues, including healthy, active, productive and positive ageing, affecting the elderly in Sarawak.
“The Sarawak government believes that we need to know the position and distribution of the elderly in Sarawak; their profiles.
“And we must also know whether we are ready in becoming an ageing State such as what are the preparations which are already available and where are the gaps we need to address,” Fatimah added. — DayakDaily
