KUCHING: The need to produce more individuals with caregiving skills is becoming increasingly important as Malaysia faces a growing elderly population and a rising number of people requiring continuous care.

Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato Sri Nancy Shukri said many people still regard caring for elderly family members or those requiring assistance as a routine responsibility, when in reality it requires specific knowledge and skills to ensure more effective care.

She said that for this reason, her ministry, through the Malaysian Social Institute (ISM), continues to expand caregiving training programmes nationwide to improve basic caregiving skills among the public.

“Why do we need to conduct this training? It is because we need highly skilled caregivers to look after us, our mothers and our families. This is not only for the elderly but also for those who are unable to care for themselves, particularly children with disabilities.

“So we are looking at ways to help them. At the ministry, we are targeting the development of professional and certified caregivers,” she said.

She said this when met by reporters after the Malaysian Social Institute (ISM) @Komuniti programme, themed Healthy Ageing, Prosperous Community, at Kampung Telaga Air here on Saturday.

The Santubong MP said the response to the training programmes has been increasingly encouraging since they were introduced in 2023, reflecting growing public awareness of the importance of caregiving skills.

She revealed that the ministry is targeting the production of 2,000 professional caregivers this year as part of efforts to strengthen the sector.

At the same time, Dato Sri Nancy said the caregiving sector is also creating expanding career opportunities due to growing demand from care institutions and related centres throughout the country.

According to her, many private institutions are actively seeking individuals interested in joining the field, including school leavers. -UKASnews

Translator: Uilson Ng