KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Dec 2008: The government is currently reviewing its National Senior Citizens Policy to face the possibility of Malaysia becoming an ageing nation by 2035, the Dewan Negara was told today.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Noriah Kasnon said the review was being carried out with the cooperation of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Institute of Gerontology.
She said the review would be finalised by next July.
“We expect the review to take less than a year to be completed. It began in July this year,” she said in reply to Senator Datuk Wang Siong Hwee during question time here today.
Noriah said that in 2000, Malaysia had 1.4 million or 6.3% of senior citizens, adding that the percentage was expected to increase to 10% by 2020 and 15% by 2035.
She said that according to the United Nations guidelines, any nation with almost 15% of its population above the age of 60, was categorised as an ageing nation.
“To deal with the situation, the government is planning to upgrade and build more homes, like the Rumah Seri Kenangan, as well as day-care centres for the elderly, and create a cheerful environment for their social interaction,” she said. — Bernama
