55,000 civil servants are exposed to serious mental health risks
More than 55,000 civil servants screened under a digital health profiling system have been identified as being high-risk for mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies.
Public services department (JPA) deputy director-general (development) Bakhari Ismail said the screening under the civil servant psychological health digital profile system (MyPsyD) identified 55,169 high-risk public servants.
He said this discovery underscores the need to strengthen psychological wellbeing across the public service to maintain organisational health and effective service delivery, Berita Harian reported.
“Efforts to holistically strengthen psychological wellbeing must be viewed as a strategic investment to ensure that the public service remains efficient and resilient,” Bakhari said.
He said heads of departments are responsible for providing adequate support systems to safeguard employee welfare, and modern administrative demands require effective stress management alongside dedication and integrity.
He said civil servants are an important asset to the country.
Bakhari said JPA is developing a public service mental health guideline and also plans to introduce a civil service happiness index to evaluate psychological wellbeing comprehensively across the service.
The government has also introduced several measures to support civil servants, including service scheme enhancements under the Public Service Remuneration System and the hybrid work policy to promote work-life balance.
Source: FMT
Category: MJN enews
